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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 116 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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. scale — size or range
  4. capital — a city
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. stock — goods
  7. mug — a face
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. mug — a cup
  10. chip — to eat
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. scale — in music
  13. kid — to tease
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. chip — for betting
  16. capital — money
  17. stock — shares
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. mug — to rob
  20. cell — a phone
  21. snap — to click
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. cell — in biology
  24. kid — child

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