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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 · last · temple · band · lean · court · board · rock

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. capital — a city
  3. board — to get on
  4. rock — music
  5. court — of a king
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. band — a music group
  9. lean — to bend
  10. band — a ring
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. last — to go on
  14. court — for sport
  15. last — finally
  16. lean — thin
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. last — final
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. court — of law
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. rock — a stone
  24. capital — money

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