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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 put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. board — to get on
  3. capital — a city
  4. board — a committee
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. mate — a friend
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. season — of the year
  11. mate — a partner
  12. chair — a leader
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. content — the amount
  15. season — in sport
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. content — happy
  19. mate — to breed
  20. capital — money
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. season — to add flavour

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