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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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. band — a ring
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. row — a line
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. capital — money
  8. foot — a measure
  9. deal — to handle
  10. board — a committee
  11. capital — a city
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. charge — electricity
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. band — a music group
  16. charge — a price
  17. board — to get on
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. row — to paddle
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. charge — in control
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. row — a quarrel

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