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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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. capital — money
  3. wound — an injury
  4. bound — tied together
  5. root — of a plant
  6. capital — a city
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. chip — to eat
  13. bound — certain
  14. content — happy
  15. wound — an injury
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. bound — obliged
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. root — of a word
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. root — the cause
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. content — the amount
  24. perch — the fish

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