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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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. cell — a phone
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. cell — in biology
  7. cap — a hat
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. chip — to eat
  10. cap — a lid
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. cap — of ice
  16. capital — a city
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. pound — a weight
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. capital — money
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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