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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. board — to get on
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. spell — a short time
  5. bound — tied together
  6. ball — a dance
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. rest — a break
  10. pop — to visit
  11. spell — magic
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. rest — what's left
  14. capital — money
  15. ball — a great time
  16. pop — soda
  17. capital — a city
  18. pop — music
  19. bound — obliged
  20. bound — certain
  21. board — a committee
  22. rest — what's left
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. spell — letters

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