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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 116 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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. suit — clothes
  4. board — a committee
  5. kid — to tease
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. mine — for digging
  8. capital — a city
  9. suit — to fit
  10. capital — money
  11. kid — child
  12. chip — to eat
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. stem — to come from
  17. suit — in cards
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. board — to get on
  20. chip — for betting
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. mine — an explosive

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