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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: mine · capital · mouse · club · ruler · tube · chip · tear

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. chip — to eat
  6. club — for dancing
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. capital — money
  9. mine — for digging
  10. club — for golf
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. club — a group
  16. capital — a city
  17. tear — from crying
  18. tube — the underground
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. tear — from crying
  22. tear — to rip
  23. chip — for betting
  24. ruler — for measuring

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