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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. board — a committee
  4. mug — a cup
  5. spring — of water
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. board — to get on
  9. pitch — completely
  10. ground — crushed
  11. charge — electricity
  12. capital — money
  13. mug — to rob
  14. capital — a city
  15. saw — the tool
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. spring — a coil
  18. charge — a price
  19. spring — the season
  20. ground — a position
  21. charge — in control
  22. ground — the earth
  23. mug — a face
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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