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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 captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. fall — to drop
  4. bear — the animal
  5. capital — a city
  6. key — in music
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. key — the most important part
  9. capital — money
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. fall — the season
  12. bear — the animal
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. rash — a series
  15. key — for a lock
  16. court — for sport
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. rash — hasty
  19. court — of a king
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. fall — to drop
  22. board — a committee
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. court — of law

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