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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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. rule — government
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. capital — money
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. mate — a partner
  7. rule — a law
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. chip — to eat
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. mate — a friend
  12. squash — to crush
  13. mate — to breed
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. squash — the sport
  18. fine — high quality
  19. capital — a city
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. fine — all right
  23. chip — for betting
  24. sharp — clever

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