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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. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. capital — money
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. present — the time now
  6. present — there
  7. scale — size or range
  8. capital — a city
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. board — a committee
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. clip — a video
  13. clip — to cut
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. clip — for paper
  18. present — a gift
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. scale — in music

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