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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: ground · fall · board · lie · capital · pitcher · nail · leaves

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. lie — to recline
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. capital — money
  6. fall — the season
  7. fall — to drop
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. board — a committee
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. ground — crushed
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. board — to get on
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. fall — to drop
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. capital — a city
  24. ground — the earth

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