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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. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. spring — of water
  4. chip — for betting
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. mine — for digging
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. chip — to eat
  10. game — a match
  11. spring — a coil
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. spring — the season
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. capital — money
  18. game — wild animals
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. capital — a city
  21. deal — to handle
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. temple — a place of worship

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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