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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 116 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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. chair — a leader
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. capital — a city
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. swing — to play on
  10. ground — crushed
  11. swing — in golf
  12. mate — a friend
  13. spell — a short time
  14. ground — a position
  15. mate — to breed
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. board — a committee
  18. ground — the earth
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. swing — music
  21. capital — money
  22. spell — letters
  23. board — to get on
  24. mate — a partner

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