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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. can — to be able to
  3. chip — for betting
  4. chip — to eat
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. land — ground
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. spring — the season
  10. wound — an injury
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. wound — an injury
  15. spring — a coil
  16. land — a country
  17. can — a tin
  18. spring — of water
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. capital — money
  21. kick — in football
  22. land — to come down
  23. capital — a city
  24. cabinet — ministers

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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