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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: game · pound · tube · can · cabinet · sharp · capital · land

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. capital — a city
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. land — ground
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. land — a country
  7. land — to come down
  8. pound — a weight
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. can — a tin
  13. can — a tin
  14. sharp — clever
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. can — to be able to
  17. tube — a container
  18. capital — money
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. game — wild animals
  21. tube — the underground
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. capital — a big letter

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