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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: bat · present · nail · capital · pound · firm · chip · pitcher

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. capital — a city
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. present — there
  8. present — a gift
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. firm — a company
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. firm — decided
  15. chip — to eat
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. present — the time now
  18. pound — a weight
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. firm — steady
  23. capital — money
  24. chip — for betting

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