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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 120 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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. capital — money
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. board — a committee
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. march — the month
  9. capital — a city
  10. bass — the fish
  11. board — to get on
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. march — the month
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. row — to paddle
  16. cell — in biology
  17. cell — a phone
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. march — music
  22. bass — low music
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. row — a line

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