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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: date · wind · wave · capital · can · chip · chair · sharp

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. wind — moving air
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. chair — a leader
  6. capital — money
  7. wind — moving air
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. can — a tin
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. can — a tin
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. can — to be able to
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. chip — to eat
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. capital — a city
  22. chip — for betting
  23. date — the fruit
  24. chair — to sit on

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