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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 116 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: fork · wake · board · band · cap · rock · game · capital

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. wake — a trail
  4. board — a committee
  5. cap — a hat
  6. capital — money
  7. band — a music group
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. cap — of ice
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. rock — a stone
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. game — wild animals
  15. rock — music
  16. capital — a city
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. game — a match
  19. cap — a lid
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. band — a ring
  22. board — to get on
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. fork — in a road

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