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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: file · last · capital · pit · bay · game · chip · stem

  1. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. game — a match
  4. file — a document
  5. last — finally
  6. stem — to come from
  7. pit — a hole
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. chip — for betting
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. game — wild animals
  12. capital — money
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. capital — a city
  16. last — to go on
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. file — a tool
  20. file — a line of people
  21. last — final
  22. pit — in a race
  23. chip — to eat
  24. bay — a horse colour

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