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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: present · jam · bound · ground · capital · chip · tube · roll

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. present — the time now
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. capital — a city
  8. bound — obliged
  9. bound — certain
  10. tube — the underground
  11. tube — a container
  12. roll — a list
  13. chip — for betting
  14. roll — a cake
  15. present — a gift
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. ground — the earth
  20. ground — crushed
  21. present — there
  22. bound — tied together
  23. chip — to eat
  24. ground — a position

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