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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 120 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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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: club · stick · board · row · snap · capital · chair · prune

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. club — for golf
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. capital — money
  7. row — to paddle
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. club — for dancing
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. capital — a city
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. row — a line
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. board — a committee
  18. prune — to trim
  19. club — a group
  20. prune — to trim
  21. snap — to click
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. chair — a leader
  24. board — to get on

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