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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. chip — to eat
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. content — the amount
  6. capital — money
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. chip — for betting
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. plane — a tool
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. object — to protest
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. object — an aim
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. content — happy
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. branch — a division
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. object — a thing

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