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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. capital — a city
  3. net — in sport
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. rush — hurry
  9. net — for catching
  10. sharp — clever
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. chip — for betting
  13. chip — to eat
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. chair — a leader
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. net — after costs
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. hand — in cards
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. capital — money

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