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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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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: pound · drill · rule · stick · season · chip · capital · object

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. rule — government
  4. drill — a practice
  5. rule — a law
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. pound — a weight
  12. chip — to eat
  13. drill — the tool
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. object — a thing
  16. drill — army training
  17. chip — for betting
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. object — to protest
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. capital — a city
  22. capital — money
  23. season — of the year
  24. object — an aim

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