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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.

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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 lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. chest — a box
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. season — in sport
  6. chip — for betting
  7. chest — of your body
  8. pound — a weight
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. season — of the year
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. bore — to tire
  15. chest — of your body
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. capital — a city
  18. bore — to drill
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. bat — the animal
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. chip — to eat
  24. capital — money

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