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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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. cue — a signal
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. bank — for money
  5. capital — money
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. chip — for betting
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. chip — to eat
  10. tear — from crying
  11. board — to get on
  12. cue — a hint
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. bank — for money
  16. tear — to rip
  17. capital — a city
  18. board — a committee
  19. cue — for pool
  20. bank — of a river
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. tear — from crying
  23. chair — a leader
  24. pitcher — a jug

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