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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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. board — a committee
  3. board — to get on
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. capital — money
  6. wind — moving air
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. cap — a lid
  11. kid — to tease
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. kid — child
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. cap — of ice
  20. plane — a tool
  21. wind — moving air
  22. cap — a hat
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. leaves — lets stay

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