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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 120 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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. game — wild animals
  3. bass — low music
  4. tear — to rip
  5. chip — for betting
  6. mug — a face
  7. chip — to eat
  8. mug — a cup
  9. bass — the fish
  10. rash — hasty
  11. capital — a city
  12. rest — what's left
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. rest — a break
  15. tear — from crying
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. mug — to rob
  18. rest — what's left
  19. rash — a series
  20. tear — from crying
  21. game — a match
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. capital — a big letter

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