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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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. bound — obliged
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. chip — to eat
  6. court — of law
  7. bound — certain
  8. court — for sport
  9. pass — a permit
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. stand — to bear
  13. bark — to shout
  14. court — of a king
  15. degree — temperature
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. capital — money
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. capital — a city
  20. degree — an amount
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. bound — tied together
  24. degree — from a university

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