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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. capital — a city
  4. march — the month
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. chip — to eat
  7. tube — a container
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. capital — money
  11. march — the month
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. hand — help
  14. rash — hasty
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. chip — for betting
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. tube — the underground
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. rash — a series
  23. march — music
  24. mouse — the animal

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