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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 116 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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. capital — a city
  3. rule — a law
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. firm — steady
  6. rule — government
  7. content — happy
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. game — a match
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. prune — to trim
  17. game — wild animals
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. content — the amount
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. firm — decided
  23. prune — to trim
  24. firm — a company

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