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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. capital — a city
  3. firm — a company
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. face — to confront
  8. face — part of the head
  9. firm — steady
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. capital — money
  12. face — to point toward
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. board — to get on
  15. firm — decided
  16. bore — to drill
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. bore — to tire
  19. bulb — for light
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. bulb — for light
  22. cell — in biology
  23. cell — a phone
  24. board — a committee

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