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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. fall — to drop
  3. land — a country
  4. mate — a friend
  5. board — to get on
  6. land — ground
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. chair — a leader
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. capital — money
  11. scale — size or range
  12. land — to come down
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. fall — the season
  16. bulb — for light
  17. mate — to breed
  18. mate — a partner
  19. fall — to drop
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. scale — in music
  22. capital — a city
  23. bulb — for light
  24. bulb — of a plant

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