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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. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. capital — money
  5. charge — electricity
  6. charge — in control
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. spring — of water
  9. capital — a city
  10. march — music
  11. board — a committee
  12. charge — a price
  13. spring — the season
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. sharp — clever
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. march — the month
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. spring — a coil
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. march — the month
  24. sharp — exactly

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