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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. chip — for betting
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. tear — from crying
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. key — for a lock
  7. rock — a stone
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. chest — of your body
  11. pitch — completely
  12. capital — a city
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. key — in music
  15. capital — money
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. chest — a box
  18. key — the most important part
  19. rock — music
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. tear — to rip
  23. chip — to eat
  24. chest — of your body

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