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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 116 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: ball · ground · capital · mate · branch · rash · chip · fall

  1. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. chip — to eat
  3. chip — for betting
  4. ball — a great time
  5. ground — a position
  6. capital — a city
  7. ground — the earth
  8. ground — crushed
  9. rash — hasty
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. fall — to drop
  12. ball — a dance
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. branch — a division
  15. fall — the season
  16. rash — a series
  17. capital — money
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. mate — to breed
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. fall — to drop
  23. mate — a partner
  24. mate — a friend

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