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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: game · mug · capital · rock · board · band · bay · mine

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. mug — a face
  3. board — a committee
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. rock — a stone
  6. rock — music
  7. band — a music group
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. capital — money
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. mug — a cup
  12. game — wild animals
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. board — to get on
  15. band — a ring
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. game — a match
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. mine — for digging
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. mug — to rob

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