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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 120 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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. fine — all right
  3. rash — a series
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. capital — money
  6. field — a subject
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. chip — to eat
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. deal — to handle
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. field — for sport
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. capital — a city
  16. rash — hasty
  17. fine — high quality
  18. field — farmland
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. bear — the animal
  24. chip — for betting

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