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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. net — in sport
  5. pit — a hole
  6. board — a committee
  7. pit — in a race
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. net — for catching
  10. board — to get on
  11. squash — to crush
  12. pitch — completely
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. capital — money
  17. snap — to click
  18. hand — help
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. hand — in cards
  21. net — after costs
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. squash — the 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