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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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. fine — high quality
  3. march — music
  4. capital — a city
  5. lean — thin
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. chip — to eat
  8. chest — a box
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. march — the month
  11. chest — of your body
  12. march — the month
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. lean — to bend
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. wind — moving air
  19. chest — of your body
  20. fine — all right
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. wind — moving air
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. capital — money

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