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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: hand · lie · capital · rule · track · leaves · board · bass

  1. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. track — to keep track
  3. board — to get on
  4. capital — a city
  5. hand — in cards
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. rule — a law
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. track — a path
  11. track — a song
  12. capital — money
  13. hand — help
  14. bass — low music
  15. lie — to recline
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. rule — government
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. board — a committee
  24. lie — an untruth

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