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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: chip · patient · firm · kick · capital · file

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. file — a tool
  3. chip — to eat
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. chip — for betting
  6. firm — decided
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. file — a line of people
  10. firm — a company
  11. kick — in football
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. capital — a city
  17. firm — steady
  18. file — a document

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