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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: capital · board · hand · club · coach · calf · pound · current

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. capital — money
  3. hand — help
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. board — to get on
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. pound — a weight
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. board — a committee
  13. current — electric
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. capital — a city
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. club — a group
  18. current — happening now
  19. club — for golf
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. current — of water
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. hand — in cards
  24. club — for dancing

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