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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. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. mug — a face
  3. root — of a word
  4. track — a song
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. capital — a city
  7. board — a committee
  8. club — for dancing
  9. club — a group
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. mug — to rob
  12. root — of a plant
  13. track — a path
  14. mug — a cup
  15. capital — money
  16. track — to keep track
  17. club — for golf
  18. root — the cause

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