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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  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. bore — gave birth
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. chip — to eat
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. bass — low music
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. chest — a box
  9. row — a line
  10. bore — to tire
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. capital — a city
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. bore — to drill
  15. band — a ring
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. chip — for betting
  18. band — a music group
  19. row — to paddle
  20. bass — the fish
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. chest — of your body
  23. chest — of your body
  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