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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: tear · row · field · cue · capital · fan · board · suit

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. board — to get on
  4. field — for sport
  5. capital — money
  6. capital — a city
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. row — to paddle
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. suit — clothes
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. cue — a signal
  13. cue — for pool
  14. row — a line
  15. tear — to rip
  16. tear — from crying
  17. tear — from crying
  18. suit — to fit
  19. suit — in cards
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. board — a committee
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. field — a subject
  24. field — farmland

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