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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. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. bound — obliged
  4. bound — certain
  5. land — a country
  6. land — ground
  7. board — a committee
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. capital — money
  10. bound — tied together
  11. sharp — clever
  12. club — for dancing
  13. capital — a city
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. cap — a hat
  18. cap — a lid
  19. band — a ring
  20. band — a music group
  21. club — a group
  22. club — for golf
  23. cap — of ice
  24. land — to come down

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