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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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Word bank
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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: capital · chip · staff · cell · pound · bound

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. pound — a weight
  4. chip — for betting
  5. bound — certain
  6. bound — tied together
  7. staff — employees
  8. staff — a stick
  9. bound — obliged
  10. cell — in biology
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. chip — to eat
  14. capital — a city
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. cell — a phone
  18. staff — employees

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