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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: chest · chip · arm · fine · pound · bay · capital · wake

  1. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. fine — all right
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. chip — for betting
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. chest — a box
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. capital — a city
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. capital — money
  14. chest — of your body
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. chip — to eat
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. fine — high quality
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. wake — a trail
  21. pound — a weight
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. chest — of your 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