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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: coach · fall · straw · game · chip · mark · bowl · capital

  1. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. capital — a city
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. fall — to drop
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. game — wild animals
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. fall — the season
  12. mark — a grade
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. fall — to drop
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. game — a match
  17. chip — to eat
  18. capital — money
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. mark — a trace
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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