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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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. chip — to eat
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. land — a country
  6. suit — to fit
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. march — music
  9. land — ground
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. board — to get on
  12. suit — in cards
  13. chip — for betting
  14. suit — clothes
  15. capital — a city
  16. rush — hurry
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. capital — money
  20. march — the month
  21. march — the month
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. land — to come down
  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