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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: suit · cell · saw · ball · fork · rock · board · capital

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. capital — a city
  3. saw — the tool
  4. fork — in a road
  5. board — a committee
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. saw — the tool
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. cell — in biology
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. ball — a great time
  12. board — to get on
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. ball — a dance
  18. rock — a stone
  19. suit — clothes
  20. capital — money
  21. cell — a phone
  22. suit — in cards
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. suit — to fit

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