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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. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. field — farmland
  3. degree — an amount
  4. capital — money
  5. cap — a lid
  6. cap — a hat
  7. cap — of ice
  8. chip — for betting
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. capital — a city
  11. field — a subject
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. dip — to sink
  14. land — ground
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. chip — to eat
  17. degree — temperature
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. degree — from a university
  20. land — a country
  21. land — to come down
  22. field — for sport
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. capital — a big letter

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