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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. The water is too ________________.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  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. cold — not warm
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. dip — to sink
  4. capital — a city
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. cold — an illness
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. board — a committee
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. board — to get on
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. ruler — a monarch
  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