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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. chip — for betting
  6. vault — a safe
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. bound — certain
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. row — a line
  11. bound — tied together
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. pass — a permit
  15. capital — money
  16. mark — a trace
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. row — to paddle
  20. chip — to eat
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. capital — a city
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. bound — obliged

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