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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 116 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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. capital — money
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. game — wild animals
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. firm — steady
  10. game — a match
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. chip — to eat
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. fork — in a road
  15. field — farmland
  16. capital — a city
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. firm — decided
  21. field — a subject
  22. firm — a company
  23. pitch — completely
  24. field — for sport

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