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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 works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. wound — an injury
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. key — the most important part
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. shower — to wash
  7. firm — steady
  8. board — to get on
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. board — a committee
  12. key — for a lock
  13. wound — an injury
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. capital — a city
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. shower — rain
  18. key — in music
  19. firm — decided
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. pass — a permit
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. capital — money

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