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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  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. sharp — clever
  2. chip — for betting
  3. capital — a city
  4. chip — to eat
  5. bear — the animal
  6. march — music
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. degree — an amount
  10. bound — certain
  11. degree — temperature
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. march — the month
  14. bear — the animal
  15. march — the month
  16. fork — in a road
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. bound — tied together
  19. degree — from a university
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. bound — obliged
  23. fork — to eat with
  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