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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. dip — to sink
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. game — a match
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. cell — a phone
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. game — wild animals
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. board — to get on
  14. capital — a city
  15. board — a committee
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. cell — in biology
  20. row — a line
  21. row — to paddle
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. bowl — a dish

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