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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. board — a committee
  6. capital — a city
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. board — to get on
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. cue — for pool
  11. cue — a hint
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. club — for golf
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. capital — money
  18. club — a group
  19. cue — a signal
  20. row — a line
  21. club — for dancing
  22. wind — moving air
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. row — to paddle

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