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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 120 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: chair · land · pass · capital · board · tube · rule · face

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. capital — a city
  4. board — to get on
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. capital — money
  8. land — to come down
  9. board — a committee
  10. land — ground
  11. land — a country
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. face — part of the head
  14. pass — a permit
  15. rule — a law
  16. rule — government
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. tube — a container
  19. face — to confront
  20. face — to point toward
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. tube — the underground
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. board — a flat piece

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