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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. fall — the season
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. perch — the fish
  7. charge — in control
  8. capital — money
  9. board — a committee
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. capital — a city
  12. fall — to drop
  13. fall — to drop
  14. rock — music
  15. mine — for digging
  16. board — to get on
  17. mark — a grade
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. rock — a stone
  20. charge — electricity
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. mark — a trace
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. charge — a price

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