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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
468
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: rest · trunk · rock · pitcher · track · capital · board · chair

  1. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. track — a song
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. track — a path
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. rock — music
  10. board — a committee
  11. rock — a stone
  12. board — to get on
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. track — to keep track
  15. capital — money
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. chair — a leader
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. rest — what's left
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. rest — what's left
  22. capital — a city
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. pitcher — a jug

Multiple-meaning words list

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

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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