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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 120 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: net · capital · chip · ground · rest · fall · wound · deal

  1. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. fall — the season
  3. ground — the earth
  4. net — after costs
  5. fall — to drop
  6. capital — a city
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. capital — money
  9. ground — crushed
  10. chip — to eat
  11. fall — to drop
  12. net — in sport
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. rest — what's left
  15. ground — a position
  16. deal — to handle
  17. rest — a break
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. rest — what's left
  20. wound — an injury
  21. net — for catching
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. wound — an injury

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