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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. chip — for betting
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. bound — certain
  6. bound — obliged
  7. shower — to wash
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. bore — to drill
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. chip — to eat
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. capital — a city
  15. shower — rain
  16. rash — hasty
  17. bore — to tire
  18. court — for sport
  19. rash — a series
  20. bound — tied together
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. court — of a king
  23. court — of law
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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