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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. chip — for betting
  3. spell — magic
  4. march — the month
  5. ball — a great time
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. bound — tied together
  9. capital — money
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. march — the month
  13. bound — certain
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. ball — a dance
  16. bound — obliged
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. spell — a short time
  20. chip — to eat
  21. capital — a city
  22. march — music
  23. spell — letters
  24. pitcher — a jug

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