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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. chair — a leader
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. board — a committee
  5. mate — to breed
  6. suit — clothes
  7. wound — an injury
  8. wound — an injury
  9. suit — to fit
  10. board — to get on
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. capital — money
  13. degree — an amount
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. degree — from a university
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. mate — a friend
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. degree — temperature
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. suit — in cards
  23. mate — a partner
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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