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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. present — a gift
  4. board — to get on
  5. squash — to crush
  6. present — the time now
  7. mate — to breed
  8. field — for sport
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. chip — to eat
  11. capital — money
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. field — a subject
  14. sharp — clever
  15. capital — a city
  16. present — there
  17. mate — a partner
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. chip — for betting
  21. mate — a friend
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. field — farmland
  24. squash — the sport

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