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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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. capital — money
  3. hand — in cards
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. board — to get on
  8. march — music
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. march — the month
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. hand — help
  13. board — a committee
  14. march — the month
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. capital — a city
  17. tube — a container
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. dip — to sink
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. tube — the underground
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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