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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: capital · cabinet · mine · swing · chip · foot · hand · calf

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. chip — for betting
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. foot — a measure
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. hand — in cards
  11. swing — in golf
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. chip — to eat
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. hand — help
  19. capital — a city
  20. mine — for digging
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. swing — to play on
  23. swing — music
  24. hand — part of the body

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