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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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. board — a committee
  4. capital — money
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. pop — to visit
  9. cell — in biology
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. scale — in music
  12. scale — size or range
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. cell — a phone
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. board — to get on
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. capital — a city
  19. pop — music
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. pop — soda
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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