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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. 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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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. bowl — a football final
  4. chip — to eat
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. scale — in music
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. spring — the season
  12. bore — to drill
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. rash — a series
  15. rule — government
  16. spring — a coil
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. rash — hasty
  19. rule — a law
  20. scale — size or range
  21. spring — of water
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. bore — to tire
  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