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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. capital — a city
  3. capital — money
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. spell — letters
  7. spell — a short time
  8. chair — a leader
  9. scale — size or range
  10. foot — a measure
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. scale — in music
  13. rest — what's left
  14. spell — magic
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. rest — what's left
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. board — to get on
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. board — a committee

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