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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. chip — for betting
  3. chip — to eat
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. land — to come down
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. land — ground
  9. land — a country
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. ball — a great time
  12. track — a path
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. ball — a dance
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. track — to keep track
  18. capital — money
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. pound — a weight
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. track — a song
  24. pound — for dogs

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