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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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. board — to get on
  3. content — the amount
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. club — a group
  7. capital — a city
  8. club — for dancing
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. capital — money
  12. club — for golf
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. staff — employees
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. content — happy
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. board — a committee
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. pitch — completely
  24. staff — a stick

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