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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 beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. capital — a city
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. board — a committee
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. ground — the earth
  10. capital — money
  11. current — happening now
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. current — of water
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. mark — a trace
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. board — to get on
  19. current — electric
  20. ground — a position
  21. season — in sport
  22. mark — a grade
  23. ground — crushed
  24. season — of the year

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