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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 put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. capital — money
  4. ball — a dance
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. board — a committee
  7. bass — the fish
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. ball — a great time
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. mate — a friend
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. perch — the fish
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. plane — a tool
  18. mate — to breed
  19. board — to get on
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. chair — a leader
  22. bass — low music
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. mate — a partner

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