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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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. capital — money
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. dip — to sink
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. chip — to eat
  7. drill — a practice
  8. mark — a trace
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. drill — army training
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. mark — a grade
  14. chip — for betting
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. wake — a trail
  20. capital — a city
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. rash — a series
  23. rash — hasty
  24. drill — the tool

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