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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 King held a masked ________________.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  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. ball — a dance
  2. chest — a box
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. capital — a city
  6. board — to get on
  7. board — a committee
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. chest — of your body
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. bark — to shout
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. rush — hurry
  19. deal — to handle
  20. chest — of your body
  21. ball — a great time
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  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