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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: capital · cell · staff · board · march · mark · content · field

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. capital — a city
  4. field — farmland
  5. cell — in biology
  6. board — to get on
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. field — for sport
  9. content — happy
  10. capital — money
  11. mark — a grade
  12. field — a subject
  13. mark — a trace
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. staff — employees
  18. content — the amount
  19. cell — a phone
  20. march — music
  21. march — the month
  22. staff — employees
  23. march — the month
  24. board — a committee

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