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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
468
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: sharp · kid · rest · capital · track · fan · chip · saw

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. kid — child
  3. capital — a city
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. saw — the tool
  7. saw — the tool
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. kid — to tease
  11. track — a song
  12. rest — what's left
  13. chip — to eat
  14. capital — money
  15. track — to keep track
  16. sharp — clever
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. rest — what's left
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. track — a path
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. rest — a break
  24. chip — for betting

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