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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 120 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 got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. kid — child
  3. mate — to breed
  4. chip — to eat
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. chip — for betting
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. mate — a friend
  12. capital — a city
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. mark — a trace
  15. mate — a partner
  16. cell — in biology
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. capital — money
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. kid — to tease
  21. cell — a phone
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. perch — the fish

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