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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: date · court · bore · rash · chip · capital · wind · mark

  1. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. wind — moving air
  5. date — the fruit
  6. chip — for betting
  7. rash — a series
  8. chip — to eat
  9. bore — to tire
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. rash — hasty
  12. mark — a grade
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. wind — moving air
  16. court — of law
  17. capital — money
  18. court — for sport
  19. bore — to drill
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. court — of a king
  22. capital — a city
  23. mark — a trace
  24. date — on the calendar

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