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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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. deal — to handle
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. capital — money
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. march — the month
  9. chip — to eat
  10. cell — a phone
  11. roll — a cake
  12. march — music
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. march — the month
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. cell — in biology
  17. net — for catching
  18. net — after costs
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. net — in sport
  22. roll — a list
  23. capital — a city
  24. chip — for betting

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