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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 120 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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. board — to get on
  4. capital — money
  5. rock — a stone
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. saw — the tool
  9. game — a match
  10. stem — to come from
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. game — wild animals
  13. saw — the tool
  14. perch — the fish
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. capital — a city
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. rock — music
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. rock — to move gently

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