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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. object — to protest
  3. cold — an illness
  4. capital — money
  5. mate — to breed
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. fine — high quality
  8. cold — not warm
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. mate — a partner
  11. board — a committee
  12. object — a thing
  13. bank — of a river
  14. drill — the tool
  15. fine — all right
  16. drill — a practice
  17. bank — for money
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. board — to get on
  20. bank — for money
  21. object — an aim
  22. mate — a friend
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. drill — army training

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