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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: pop · chip · leaves · board · club · wound · pitcher · capital

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. board — to get on
  6. chip — to eat
  7. pop — soda
  8. pop — to visit
  9. pop — music
  10. club — a group
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. wound — an injury
  13. capital — a city
  14. club — for golf
  15. wound — an injury
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. chip — for betting
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. club — for dancing
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. board — a committee

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