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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. spell — letters
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. hand — help
  8. capital — a city
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. board — a committee
  11. content — the amount
  12. firm — decided
  13. firm — a company
  14. board — to get on
  15. vault — a safe
  16. spell — a short time
  17. hand — in cards
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. toast — bread
  20. firm — steady
  21. content — happy
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. spell — magic

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