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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. sharp — clever
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. game — a match
  5. game — wild animals
  6. capital — money
  7. bound — certain
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. bound — obliged
  11. pop — to visit
  12. content — happy
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. capital — a city
  15. pop — music
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. chip — for betting
  19. pop — soda
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. content — the amount
  22. wake — a trail
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. chip — to eat

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