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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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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: track · arm · chip · firm · leaves · bay · cap · capital

  1. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. capital — a city
  3. cap — a hat
  4. firm — a company
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. chip — for betting
  7. track — a path
  8. capital — money
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. firm — decided
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. firm — steady
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. chip — to eat
  16. cap — a lid
  17. track — to keep track
  18. track — a song
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. cap — of ice
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. leaves — to go away

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