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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: bass · capital · chip · date · mark · land · tube · press

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. land — a country
  3. tube — a container
  4. press — a publisher
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. capital — money
  7. capital — a city
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. press — newspapers
  10. mark — a grade
  11. bass — the fish
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. chip — for betting
  15. land — to come down
  16. land — ground
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. tube — the underground
  19. mark — a trace
  20. press — to push
  21. date — the fruit
  22. bass — low music
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. date — on the calendar

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