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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. rash — a series
  3. row — to paddle
  4. rash — hasty
  5. present — the time now
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. capital — money
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. board — to get on
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. present — there
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. present — a gift
  18. pit — in a race
  19. pit — a hole
  20. board — a committee
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. season — of the year
  23. row — a line
  24. season — in sport

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