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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 water is too ________________.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. cold — not warm
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. capital — money
  5. current — happening now
  6. can — a tin
  7. current — of water
  8. capital — a city
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. current — electric
  11. board — to get on
  12. rest — what's left
  13. cold — an illness
  14. can — a tin
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. toast — bread
  17. face — to confront
  18. face — part of the head
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. can — to be able to
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. rest — a break
  23. rest — what's left
  24. face — to point toward

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