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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. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. board — to get on
  3. capital — a city
  4. cap — a lid
  5. roll — a cake
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. cap — a hat
  8. bore — to drill
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. foot — a measure
  13. bat — the animal
  14. bore — to tire
  15. capital — money
  16. board — a committee
  17. cap — of ice
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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