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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. capital — money
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. mate — a friend
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. plane — a tool
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. chip — to eat
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. hand — help
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. capital — a city
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. chip — for betting
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. hand — in cards
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. mate — to breed
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. mate — a partner

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