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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: game · capital · clip · chip · board · safe · shower · rash

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. chip — for betting
  7. rash — hasty
  8. board — to get on
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. capital — a city
  11. rash — a series
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. clip — a video
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. game — a match
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. capital — money
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. board — a committee
  20. shower — to wash
  21. clip — to cut
  22. shower — rain
  23. chip — to eat
  24. clip — for paper

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