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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. firm — decided
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. press — newspapers
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. board — a committee
  11. band — a music group
  12. press — a publisher
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. band — a ring
  16. hand — help
  17. capital — money
  18. firm — a company
  19. press — to push
  20. firm — steady
  21. board — to get on
  22. hand — in cards
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. capital — a big letter

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