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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. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. rest — a break
  4. track — a song
  5. charge — a price
  6. rest — what's left
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. stem — to come from
  9. rest — what's left
  10. press — to push
  11. charge — in control
  12. capital — a city
  13. capital — money
  14. press — newspapers
  15. present — there
  16. track — a path
  17. charge — electricity
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. press — a publisher
  21. present — the time now
  22. present — a gift
  23. board — a committee
  24. track — to keep track

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