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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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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: leaves · net · track · capital · rule · chip

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. net — in sport
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. chip — for betting
  7. rule — government
  8. chip — to eat
  9. capital — a city
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. net — after costs
  13. net — for catching
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. track — a song
  16. rule — a law
  17. capital — money
  18. track — a path

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