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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 116 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: game · rock · pound · scale · suit · cap · board · capital

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. game — a match
  6. suit — clothes
  7. capital — money
  8. suit — to fit
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. rock — a stone
  12. scale — size or range
  13. cap — a hat
  14. cap — a lid
  15. pound — a weight
  16. board — a committee
  17. suit — in cards
  18. game — wild animals
  19. capital — a city
  20. board — to get on
  21. cap — of ice
  22. scale — in music
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. pound — for dogs

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