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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 second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. capital — money
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. board — to get on
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. capital — a city
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. swing — to play on
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. cap — a lid
  12. dip — to sink
  13. chip — to eat
  14. chair — a leader
  15. cap — of ice
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. wax — to grow
  18. swing — in golf
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. chip — for betting
  22. swing — music
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. cap — a hat

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