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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 captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. rest — a break
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. rest — what's left
  7. rest — what's left
  8. game — wild animals
  9. board — a committee
  10. game — a match
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. capital — a city
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. pitch — completely
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. capital — money

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