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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  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. coach — a trainer
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. rule — a law
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. band — a music group
  16. prune — to trim
  17. board — to get on
  18. prune — to trim
  19. rule — government
  20. band — a ring
  21. capital — money
  22. board — a committee
  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