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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. pop — soda
  3. capital — money
  4. season — of the year
  5. land — to come down
  6. pop — to visit
  7. pop — music
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. board — a committee
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. stem — to come from
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. drill — a practice
  17. capital — a city
  18. land — ground
  19. season — in sport
  20. land — a country
  21. lie — to recline
  22. drill — army training
  23. board — to get on
  24. drill — the tool

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