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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.

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: court · pop · capital · cell · board · branch · chip · fine

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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. branch — of a tree
  4. pop — to visit
  5. cell — in biology
  6. court — for sport
  7. fine — all right
  8. capital — money
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. pop — soda
  11. pop — music
  12. court — of law
  13. court — of a king
  14. chip — for betting
  15. branch — a division
  16. chip — to eat
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. board — to get on
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. cell — a phone
  22. fine — high quality
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. cell — in a prison

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