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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 speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. march — the month
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. ground — crushed
  5. staff — employees
  6. lean — to bend
  7. lean — thin
  8. march — the month
  9. board — to get on
  10. staff — a stick
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. march — music
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. staff — employees
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. perch — the fish
  18. ground — a position
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. capital — money
  22. board — a committee
  23. ground — the earth
  24. capital — a city

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