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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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. chip — for betting
  3. branch — a division
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. capital — money
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. track — a path
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. content — happy
  10. chip — to eat
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. track — to keep track
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. fine — high quality
  17. roll — a list
  18. roll — a cake
  19. fine — all right
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. track — a song
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. content — the amount

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