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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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. swing — in golf
  5. ground — the earth
  6. wound — an injury
  7. capital — money
  8. ground — a position
  9. board — to get on
  10. capital — a city
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. last — final
  14. last — finally
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. wound — an injury
  17. swing — to play on
  18. vault — a safe
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. last — to go on
  22. swing — music
  23. ground — crushed
  24. board — a committee

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