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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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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: cell · mark · capital · cold · rest · chip · bear · roll

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. bear — the animal
  3. rest — what's left
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. capital — a city
  6. chip — for betting
  7. bear — the animal
  8. chip — to eat
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. cold — not warm
  11. cell — a phone
  12. mark — a grade
  13. cold — an illness
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. mark — a trace
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. capital — money
  20. rest — a break
  21. roll — a list
  22. cell — in biology
  23. roll — a cake
  24. rest — what's left

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