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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: capital · stick · pop · straw · staff · board · fan · bay

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. pop — to visit
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. staff — employees
  6. staff — employees
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. pop — music
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. board — to get on
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. pop — soda
  19. board — a committee
  20. staff — a stick
  21. capital — money
  22. capital — a city
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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