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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
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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: chair · pound · saw · game · capital · spell · cap · fine

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. saw — the tool
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. cap — of ice
  7. spell — magic
  8. chair — a leader
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. cap — a lid
  11. cap — a hat
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. game — wild animals
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. capital — money
  17. saw — the tool
  18. pound — a weight
  19. spell — a short time
  20. fine — all right
  21. capital — a city
  22. game — a match
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. spell — letters

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