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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. face — part of the head
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. capital — a city
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. face — to point toward
  9. board — a committee
  10. squash — to crush
  11. face — to confront
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. board — to get on
  15. capital — money
  16. squash — the sport
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. bulb — for light
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. bound — certain
  21. bound — tied together
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. bulb — for light
  24. bound — obliged

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