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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
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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 · scale · board · ball · fan · spring · key · cap

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. board — to get on
  3. ball — a great time
  4. board — a committee
  5. capital — a city
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. cap — a lid
  8. scale — in music
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. cap — of ice
  11. key — for a lock
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. scale — size or range
  15. spring — of water
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. capital — money
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. ball — a dance
  21. key — in music
  22. spring — a coil
  23. spring — the season
  24. key — the most important part

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