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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. club — a group
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. staff — employees
  6. staff — a stick
  7. deal — to handle
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. board — to get on
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. club — for golf
  13. capital — a city
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. snap — to click
  18. staff — employees
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. club — for dancing
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. board — a committee
  24. deal — an agreement

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