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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: bear · land · chip · club · row · date · file · capital

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. date — the fruit
  3. file — a document
  4. row — to paddle
  5. bear — the animal
  6. file — a line of people
  7. club — for dancing
  8. chip — for betting
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. land — to come down
  11. row — a line
  12. bear — the animal
  13. file — a tool
  14. chip — to eat
  15. land — ground
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. capital — a city
  18. club — a group
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. club — for golf
  24. land — a country

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