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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 beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. chest — a box
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. board — a committee
  7. chest — of your body
  8. pitch — completely
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. chest — of your body
  12. fork — in a road
  13. deal — to handle
  14. court — of a king
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. chair — a leader
  18. court — of law
  19. court — for sport
  20. capital — money
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. capital — a city
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. board — to get on

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