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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 hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  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. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. spell — letters
  3. chip — for betting
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. rule — a law
  6. spell — a short time
  7. mark — a trace
  8. chip — to eat
  9. rash — a series
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. capital — money
  12. rash — hasty
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. spell — magic
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. rule — government
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. mark — a grade
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. capital — a city

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