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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. capital — money
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. board — a committee
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. suit — to fit
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. capital — a city
  10. drill — a practice
  11. sharp — clever
  12. suit — clothes
  13. cold — an illness
  14. board — to get on
  15. drill — the tool
  16. drill — army training
  17. suit — in cards
  18. cold — not warm

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