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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. rock — music
  5. board — a committee
  6. track — a song
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. track — a path
  11. track — to keep track
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. board — to get on
  16. rock — a stone
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. lean — to bend
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. lie — to recline
  22. capital — money
  23. lean — thin
  24. capital — a big letter

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