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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. capital — money
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. can — a tin
  7. chip — to eat
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. foot — a measure
  10. chip — for betting
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. capital — a city
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. can — to be able to
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. dip — to sink
  20. wake — a trail
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. can — a tin
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. rash — a series

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