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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: board · pop · capital · ball · arm · bank · drill · straw

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. capital — a city
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. board — a committee
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. ball — a great time
  7. drill — a practice
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. drill — army training
  10. pop — to visit
  11. pop — music
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. drill — the tool
  14. pop — soda
  15. board — to get on
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. bank — for money
  19. ball — a dance
  20. bank — for money
  21. capital — money
  22. bank — of a river
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. capital — a big letter

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