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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: calf · firm · snap · land · chip · court · capital · march

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. firm — decided
  4. land — a country
  5. firm — a company
  6. court — of a king
  7. capital — money
  8. land — ground
  9. march — the month
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. court — of law
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. snap — to click
  14. court — for sport
  15. chip — for betting
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. march — the month
  20. chip — to eat
  21. firm — steady
  22. capital — a city
  23. land — to come down
  24. march — music

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