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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. tube — a container
  3. bear — the animal
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. rule — government
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. rule — a law
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. bear — the animal
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. tube — the underground
  14. board — to get on
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. capital — money
  17. craft — a skill
  18. board — a committee
  19. craft — boats
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. wound — an injury
  23. wound — an injury
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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