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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. last — finally
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. capital — money
  7. land — ground
  8. last — to go on
  9. present — the time now
  10. last — final
  11. capital — a city
  12. board — a committee
  13. mate — a partner
  14. mate — to breed
  15. mate — a friend
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. lie — to recline
  18. board — to get on
  19. plane — a tool
  20. present — there
  21. present — a gift
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. land — a country
  24. lie — an untruth

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