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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 ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. land — a country
  3. board — to get on
  4. object — an aim
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. land — to come down
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. board — a committee
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. object — a thing
  14. ball — a dance
  15. capital — a city
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. date — the fruit
  18. ball — a great time
  19. land — ground
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. object — to protest
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. capital — money

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