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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: ball · pass · bat · capital · suit · lean · cold · board

  1. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. lean — thin
  3. suit — in cards
  4. ball — a great time
  5. board — a committee
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. ball — a dance
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. lean — to bend
  11. suit — clothes
  12. capital — money
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. capital — a city
  15. cold — an illness
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. suit — to fit
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. bat — the animal
  23. board — to get on
  24. cold — not warm

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