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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 124 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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. chip — to eat
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. file — a document
  5. race — the arms race
  6. capital — money
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. club — a group
  11. file — a tool
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. club — for golf
  15. track — a song
  16. file — a line of people
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. track — a path
  20. track — to keep track
  21. race — humankind
  22. race — a contest
  23. club — for dancing
  24. chip — for betting

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