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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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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: wake · race · board · firm · hide · court · capital · bank

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. court — of law
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. court — for sport
  5. capital — money
  6. board — a committee
  7. wake — a trail
  8. race — humankind
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. bank — of a river
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. firm — a company
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. board — to get on
  15. bank — for money
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. race — a contest
  18. race — the arms race
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. capital — a city
  21. bank — for money
  22. firm — steady
  23. court — of a king
  24. firm — decided

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