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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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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 beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. capital — a city
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. board — to get on
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. capital — money
  11. game — a match
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. date — the fruit
  14. game — wild animals
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. board — a committee
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. date — on the calendar

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