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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 116 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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. rock — music
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. season — of the year
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. rock — a stone
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. capital — money
  12. vault — a safe
  13. stem — to come from
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. season — in sport
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. board — to get on
  22. board — a committee
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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