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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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. capital — a city
  3. mate — a friend
  4. capital — money
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. board — to get on
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. wind — moving air
  14. mate — a partner
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. wind — moving air
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. ball — a dance
  20. ball — a great time
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. mate — to breed

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