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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 116 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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. tear — from crying
  3. wound — an injury
  4. capital — a city
  5. wound — an injury
  6. firm — a company
  7. capital — money
  8. squash — the sport
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. squash — to crush
  11. firm — decided
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. firm — steady
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. board — to get on
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. tear — from crying
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. board — a committee
  23. tear — to rip
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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