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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. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. chip — to eat
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. capital — money
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. chip — for betting
  7. track — a path
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. mark — a grade
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. track — a song
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. track — to keep track
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. court — of law
  18. mark — a trace
  19. saw — the tool
  20. court — of a king
  21. saw — the tool
  22. court — for sport
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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