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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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. firm — steady
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. club — for dancing
  5. capital — money
  6. chip — for betting
  7. fine — all right
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. club — for golf
  11. fine — high quality
  12. sharp — clever
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. firm — decided
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. mine — for digging
  17. capital — a city
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. chip — to eat
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. club — a group
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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