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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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. last — to go on
  3. mug — a cup
  4. mine — for digging
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. capital — a city
  8. ground — crushed
  9. ground — a position
  10. last — final
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. mug — to rob
  13. capital — money
  14. mug — a face
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. chip — to eat
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. ground — the earth
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. last — finally
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. pitcher — a jug

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