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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 kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. chip — to eat
  5. scale — size or range
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. net — after costs
  9. fine — high quality
  10. net — in sport
  11. capital — money
  12. scale — in music
  13. fine — all right
  14. chair — a leader
  15. net — for catching
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. chip — for betting
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. capital — a city
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. shower — to wash
  22. shower — rain
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. leaves — of a tree

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