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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 120 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: chip · ball · rush · bark · mate · capital · foot · land

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. bark — to shout
  3. mate — a partner
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. mate — a friend
  7. land — a country
  8. mate — to breed
  9. chip — for betting
  10. land — to come down
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. foot — a measure
  15. capital — a city
  16. capital — money
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. ball — a great time
  19. chip — to eat
  20. ball — a dance
  21. rush — hurry
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. bark — of a tree

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