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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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. can — a tin
  5. can — a tin
  6. capital — money
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. hand — help
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. rule — a law
  11. chip — to eat
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. can — to be able to
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. hand — in cards
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. rule — government
  20. stem — to come from
  21. capital — a city
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. chip — for betting

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