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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: ruler · chip · game · capital · fine · bore · swing · row

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. chip — to eat
  3. fine — high quality
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. row — to paddle
  8. fine — all right
  9. swing — music
  10. bore — to tire
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. game — a match
  13. game — wild animals
  14. swing — to play on
  15. chip — for betting
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. swing — in golf
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. bore — to drill
  22. capital — money
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. row — a line

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