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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 newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. board — to get on
  3. pop — soda
  4. march — the month
  5. pop — to visit
  6. track — to keep track
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. wound — an injury
  9. march — music
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. capital — a city
  12. season — of the year
  13. march — the month
  14. foot — a measure
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. pop — music
  17. season — in sport
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. board — a committee
  21. track — a path
  22. wound — an injury
  23. track — a song
  24. capital — money

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