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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: bark · cap · row · kick · capital · chip · can · mouse

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. row — a line
  4. capital — money
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. capital — a city
  13. cap — a lid
  14. can — to be able to
  15. kick — in football
  16. chip — for betting
  17. chip — to eat
  18. cap — a hat
  19. cap — of ice
  20. bark — to shout
  21. can — a tin
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. row — to paddle
  24. can — a tin

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