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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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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: pound · board · content · staff · jam · racket · capital · fall

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. capital — money
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. board — to get on
  8. fall — to drop
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. staff — a stick
  12. staff — employees
  13. content — the amount
  14. fall — the season
  15. fall — to drop
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. capital — a city
  20. pound — a weight
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. board — a committee
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. content — happy

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