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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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. firm — a company
  4. firm — steady
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. capital — a city
  7. season — of the year
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. board — to get on
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. capital — money
  13. board — a committee
  14. sharp — clever
  15. firm — decided
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. rock — a stone
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. bat — the animal
  22. season — in sport
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. rock — music

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