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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 124 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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. board — to get on
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. board — a committee
  6. pop — to visit
  7. tear — from crying
  8. last — finally
  9. ground — crushed
  10. tear — to rip
  11. stem — to come from
  12. ground — the earth
  13. ground — a position
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. suit — in cards
  16. capital — money
  17. suit — to fit
  18. pop — music
  19. tear — from crying
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. last — final
  22. capital — a city
  23. suit — clothes
  24. pop — soda

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