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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. firm — steady
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. chip — to eat
  5. capital — a city
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. pound — a weight
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. last — finally
  10. court — for sport
  11. capital — money
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. firm — a company
  15. firm — decided
  16. last — final
  17. cell — a phone
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. court — of a king
  21. last — to go on
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. chip — for betting
  24. court — of law

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