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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. scale — size or range
  3. pop — to visit
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. board — a committee
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. ground — a position
  8. press — a publisher
  9. board — to get on
  10. pop — soda
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. scale — in music
  13. row — a line
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. ground — crushed
  16. row — to paddle
  17. press — newspapers
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. capital — a city
  21. pop — music
  22. press — to push
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. ground — the earth

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