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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 120 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. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. mate — to breed
  5. ground — the earth
  6. stand — to bear
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. ground — a position
  9. mate — a partner
  10. capital — money
  11. club — a group
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. board — a committee
  17. foot — a measure
  18. mate — a friend
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. board — to get on
  21. club — for dancing
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. club — for golf
  24. ground — crushed

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