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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: capital · chair · board · pop · ball · track · root · chest

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. board — to get on
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. capital — a city
  5. board — a committee
  6. chest — a box
  7. track — to keep track
  8. ball — a great time
  9. chair — a leader
  10. pop — soda
  11. track — a path
  12. pop — to visit
  13. track — a song
  14. pop — music
  15. root — of a plant
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. root — the cause
  19. chest — of your body
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. chest — of your body
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. ball — a dance
  24. capital — money

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