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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.

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: march · club · foot · pass · board · capital · land · wound

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. wound — an injury
  5. capital — money
  6. wound — an injury
  7. foot — a measure
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. club — for dancing
  10. land — a country
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. march — the month
  13. march — music
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. capital — a city
  17. board — a committee
  18. march — the month
  19. club — a group
  20. club — for golf
  21. board — to get on
  22. pass — a permit
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. land — ground

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