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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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. chip — for betting
  4. capital — a city
  5. capital — money
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. degree — temperature
  8. drill — a practice
  9. deal — to handle
  10. degree — an amount
  11. bound — obliged
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. pop — soda
  14. pop — music
  15. drill — the tool
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. bound — tied together
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. drill — army training
  21. pop — to visit
  22. degree — from a university
  23. bound — certain
  24. chip — to eat

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