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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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. cell — in biology
  4. capital — money
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. chip — to eat
  10. mark — a trace
  11. cell — a phone
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. pound — a weight
  14. fine — high quality
  15. snap — to click
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. prune — to trim
  18. capital — a city
  19. mark — a grade
  20. prune — to trim
  21. fine — all right
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. chip — for betting
  24. prune — the fruit

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