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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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. board — to get on
  3. mark — a trace
  4. chair — a leader
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. fall — the season
  7. mine — for digging
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. track — a path
  12. board — a committee
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. mark — a grade
  15. fall — to drop
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. track — a song
  18. track — to keep track
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. capital — a city
  22. capital — money
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. fall — to drop

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