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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. drill — a practice
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. craft — a skill
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. chip — to eat
  8. squash — to crush
  9. squash — the sport
  10. craft — boats
  11. mate — a friend
  12. rash — a series
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. drill — army training
  15. rash — hasty
  16. mate — a partner
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. kid — child
  19. capital — money
  20. chip — for betting
  21. kid — to tease
  22. drill — the tool
  23. mate — to breed
  24. rash — on the skin

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