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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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. capital — a city
  4. stock — goods
  5. charge — electricity
  6. charge — in control
  7. band — a ring
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. scale — in music
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. band — a music group
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. spring — the season
  14. spring — a coil
  15. board — to get on
  16. stock — shares
  17. capital — money
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. scale — size or range
  20. charge — a price
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. spring — of water
  23. lie — to recline
  24. band — a rubber band

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