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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. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. bear — the animal
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. season — in sport
  7. spell — magic
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. capital — money
  10. land — ground
  11. board — to get on
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. spell — a short time
  14. season — of the year
  15. key — in music
  16. capital — a city
  17. spell — letters
  18. land — a country
  19. key — the most important part
  20. key — for a lock
  21. land — to come down
  22. bear — the animal
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. racket — a loud noise

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