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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: bark · capital · mark · last · track · board · arm · squash

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. mark — a grade
  3. squash — the sport
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. board — to get on
  6. track — a song
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. last — to go on
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. mark — a trace
  14. track — to keep track
  15. bark — to shout
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. capital — a city
  18. squash — to crush
  19. board — a committee
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. last — finally
  23. track — a path
  24. last — final

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