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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. cap — of ice
  3. chip — for betting
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. fork — in a road
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. capital — a city
  8. mate — to breed
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. mate — a friend
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. capital — money
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. cap — a hat
  19. cap — a lid
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. dip — to sink
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. bark — to shout
  24. chip — to eat

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