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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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. capital — money
  4. last — finally
  5. rest — what's left
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. root — of a plant
  8. fine — high quality
  9. fine — all right
  10. last — to go on
  11. root — of a word
  12. rest — what's left
  13. rest — a break
  14. last — final
  15. march — the month
  16. root — the cause
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. march — the month
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. bark — to shout
  22. capital — a city
  23. chip — to eat
  24. march — music

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