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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 124 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.

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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: plane · capital · board · can · stand · rest · game · sharp

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. stand — to bear
  5. can — a tin
  6. game — wild animals
  7. rest — a break
  8. board — to get on
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. rest — what's left
  11. can — a tin
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. plane — a tool
  15. capital — a city
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. game — a match
  18. capital — money
  19. can — to be able to
  20. sharp — clever
  21. board — a committee
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. rest — what's left
  24. plane — in geometry

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