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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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. board — a committee
  3. track — a song
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. track — a path
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. capital — a city
  8. rock — music
  9. rock — a stone
  10. board — to get on
  11. spring — a coil
  12. land — to come down
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. land — ground
  17. spring — of water
  18. capital — money
  19. spring — the season
  20. cue — a hint
  21. cue — a signal
  22. cue — for pool
  23. track — to keep track
  24. land — a country

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