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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. The water is too ________________.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. cold — not warm
  3. pitch — completely
  4. pass — a permit
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. capital — money
  7. mark — a grade
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. last — finally
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. capital — a city
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. mark — a trace
  15. cold — an illness
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. board — a committee
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. last — final
  23. board — to get on
  24. last — to go on

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