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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: cap · firm · board · game · pop · capital · mark · pit

  1. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  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. pit — a hole
  2. cap — a lid
  3. firm — steady
  4. cap — a hat
  5. cap — of ice
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. game — a match
  9. pop — to visit
  10. pit — in a race
  11. board — to get on
  12. capital — a city
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. pop — soda
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. pop — music
  17. firm — decided
  18. mark — a trace
  19. capital — money
  20. firm — a company
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. mark — a grade
  23. game — wild animals
  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