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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: straw · fan · ground · hide · board · racket · wake · capital

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. wake — a trail
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. ground — crushed
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. board — a committee
  11. ground — the earth
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. capital — a city
  14. board — to get on
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. capital — money
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. ground — a position
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. straw — dry grass

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