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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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468
Word bank
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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. board — to get on
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. capital — a city
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. scale — in music
  9. land — to come down
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. land — ground
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. capital — money
  17. scale — size or range
  18. cell — a phone
  19. land — a country
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. fork — in a road
  22. toast — bread
  23. board — a committee
  24. wave — of the sea

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