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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. capital — a city
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. scale — size or range
  5. saw — the tool
  6. fine — all right
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. capital — money
  12. chip — for betting
  13. fine — high quality
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. saw — the tool
  16. chip — to eat
  17. wound — an injury
  18. wound — an injury
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. rule — government
  22. scale — in music
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. rule — a law

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