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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. fall — the season
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. club — for dancing
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. capital — money
  9. club — a group
  10. club — for golf
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. capital — a city
  13. fall — to drop
  14. cap — a hat
  15. cap — a lid
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. chip — for betting
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. cap — of ice
  21. pitch — completely
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. chip — to eat
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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