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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: capital · pound · bowl · chip · object · pitcher · pop · mark

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. mark — a trace
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. pop — to visit
  6. pound — a weight
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. object — to protest
  9. object — a thing
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. object — an aim
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. capital — money
  16. chip — for betting
  17. pop — soda
  18. chip — to eat
  19. mark — a grade
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. pop — music

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