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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. ground — crushed
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. chip — to eat
  6. bank — for money
  7. chip — for betting
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. spell — a short time
  10. mate — a partner
  11. spell — letters
  12. ground — a position
  13. mate — to breed
  14. capital — money
  15. bank — of a river
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. scale — in music
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. capital — a city
  20. scale — size or range
  21. ground — the earth
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. bank — for money
  24. spell — magic

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