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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. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. perch — the fish
  3. drill — the tool
  4. capital — a city
  5. degree — temperature
  6. board — to get on
  7. drill — a practice
  8. degree — an amount
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. degree — from a university
  11. key — the most important part
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. drill — army training
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. plane — a tool
  17. board — a committee
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. key — in music
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. capital — money
  24. key — for a lock

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