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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. bound — obliged
  3. ball — a dance
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. board — a committee
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. season — in sport
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. cap — of ice
  13. season — of the year
  14. bark — to shout
  15. bound — tied together
  16. ball — a great time
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. capital — money
  20. bound — certain
  21. cap — a hat
  22. capital — a city
  23. board — to get on
  24. bark — of a tree

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