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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. track — to keep track
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. board — to get on
  6. rush — hurry
  7. cap — a lid
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. track — a song
  10. club — for dancing
  11. capital — a city
  12. court — of a king
  13. track — a path
  14. cap — of ice
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. court — for sport
  17. capital — money
  18. club — for golf
  19. cap — a hat
  20. board — a committee
  21. court — of law
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. club — a group
  24. rush — to hurry

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