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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: rash · stem · capital · cap · board · pitcher · chair · content

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. capital — a city
  3. content — happy
  4. rash — a series
  5. stem — to come from
  6. capital — money
  7. cap — of ice
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. chair — a leader
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. rash — hasty
  12. content — the amount
  13. board — a committee
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. cap — a hat
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. board — to get on
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. cap — a lid

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