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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. chip — for betting
  3. chip — to eat
  4. pound — a weight
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. tube — a container
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. capital — a city
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. prune — to trim
  12. rule — government
  13. tube — the underground
  14. rule — a law
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. prune — to trim
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. capital — money
  24. bowl — to roll

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