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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: foot · board · rush · wake · pop · cabinet · capital · net

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. pop — soda
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. board — a committee
  5. net — for catching
  6. foot — a measure
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. pop — music
  13. pop — to visit
  14. wake — a trail
  15. net — after costs
  16. capital — money
  17. net — in sport
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. board — to get on
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. rush — hurry
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. wake — before a funeral

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