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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 · pound · leaves · chest · board · current · court · mark

  1. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. current — electric
  3. court — of law
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. board — to get on
  6. chest — of your body
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. court — of a king
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. chest — a box
  11. pound — a weight
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. court — for sport
  16. mark — a trace
  17. current — of water
  18. board — a committee
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. capital — a city
  22. current — happening now
  23. capital — money
  24. chest — of your body

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