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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. board — a committee
  4. spell — letters
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. capital — a city
  8. present — there
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. capital — money
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. deal — to handle
  13. spell — magic
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. board — to get on
  16. spell — a short time
  17. present — a gift
  18. coach — pulled by horses

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