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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: chair · capital · chip · roll · bank · racket

  1. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. bank — for money
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. bank — of a river
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. capital — a city
  7. chair — a leader
  8. roll — a cake
  9. chip — to eat
  10. chip — for betting
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. capital — money
  13. roll — a list
  14. bank — for money
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. racket — for tennis

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