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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 · capital · pound · chest · toast · craft

  1. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. pound — a weight
  3. capital — a city
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. toast — bread
  6. chip — for betting
  7. chest — a box
  8. chip — to eat
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. chest — of your body
  11. craft — boats
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. capital — money
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. craft — a skill
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. chest — of your body

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