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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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. hand — in cards
  3. cap — a hat
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. shower — to wash
  7. cap — of ice
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. chip — to eat
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. capital — money
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. suit — clothes
  14. root — of a word
  15. root — of a plant
  16. hand — help
  17. capital — a city
  18. shower — rain
  19. suit — in cards
  20. cap — a lid
  21. suit — to fit
  22. root — the cause
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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