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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: roll · capital · march · chip · cell · cabinet

  1. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. cell — in biology
  3. march — the month
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. roll — a cake
  6. capital — a city
  7. capital — money
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. chip — to eat
  11. cell — a phone
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. march — the month
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. roll — a list
  18. march — music

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