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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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. hand — in cards
  3. saw — the tool
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. board — a committee
  7. saw — the tool
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. hand — help
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. deal — to handle
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. rule — a law
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. capital — money
  22. board — to get on
  23. leaves — to go away
  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