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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: spell · capital · pop · staff · board · field · stand · sharp

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. pop — to visit
  4. staff — employees
  5. capital — money
  6. field — a subject
  7. capital — a city
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. field — farmland
  10. stand — to bear
  11. field — for sport
  12. pop — music
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. spell — letters
  15. sharp — clever
  16. board — a committee
  17. staff — employees
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. pop — soda
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. spell — a short time
  23. spell — magic
  24. staff — a stick

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com