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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. mark — a grade
  3. key — in music
  4. board — a committee
  5. capital — money
  6. bulb — for light
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. bulb — for light
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. clip — a video
  12. can — a tin
  13. key — the most important part
  14. key — for a lock
  15. ground — crushed
  16. clip — for paper
  17. clip — to cut
  18. mark — a trace
  19. ground — the earth
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. can — to be able to
  22. ground — a position
  23. can — a tin
  24. board — to get on

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