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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 116 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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. can — to be able to
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. chip — for betting
  5. race — a contest
  6. race — humankind
  7. cell — a phone
  8. can — a tin
  9. chip — to eat
  10. last — to go on
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. last — finally
  13. pound — a weight
  14. board — to get on
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. capital — a city
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. board — a committee
  20. can — a tin
  21. race — the arms race
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. capital — money
  24. cell — in biology

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