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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. board — to get on
  5. club — a group
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. capital — a city
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. club — for golf
  12. club — for dancing
  13. march — the month
  14. bat — the animal
  15. capital — money
  16. hand — in cards
  17. march — the month
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. board — a committee
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. hand — help
  22. march — music
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. hand — part of the body

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