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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: board · wind · ground · rush · present · rest · mark · capital

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  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. present — there
  2. board — to get on
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. rush — hurry
  6. mark — a grade
  7. wind — moving air
  8. capital — a city
  9. present — a gift
  10. wind — moving air
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. ground — the earth
  13. rest — what's left
  14. ground — a position
  15. rest — what's left
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. rest — a break
  18. ground — crushed
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. mark — a trace
  21. present — the time now
  22. capital — money
  23. mark — to pay attention
  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