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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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. march — the month
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. march — music
  5. capital — a city
  6. mate — a partner
  7. root — the cause
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. root — of a plant
  12. pass — a permit
  13. march — the month
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. board — to get on
  18. mate — to breed
  19. deal — to handle
  20. capital — money
  21. root — of a word
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. mate — a friend

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