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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: capital · season · foot · hide · game · row · mug · board

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. game — a match
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. row — a line
  5. season — in sport
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. season — of the year
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. mug — to rob
  12. row — to paddle
  13. game — wild animals
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. capital — money
  16. board — a committee
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. capital — a city
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. foot — a measure
  21. mug — a cup
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. mug — a face
  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