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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 120 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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. board — to get on
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. mine — for digging
  6. face — part of the head
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. capital — a city
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. face — to point toward
  11. sharp — clever
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. board — a committee
  14. can — a tin
  15. snap — to click
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. can — a tin
  18. face — to confront
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. capital — money
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. rush — hurry

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