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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
468
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 · wax · bay · board · fan · mark · bat · rule

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. board — to get on
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. capital — a city
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. mark — a grade
  11. rule — a law
  12. bat — the animal
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. mark — a trace
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. capital — money
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. board — a committee
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. wax — to grow
  24. rule — government

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