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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: chip · bark · capital · deal · net · cue · bulb · snap

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. chip — for betting
  3. bulb — for light
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. cue — a hint
  6. cue — a signal
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. cue — for pool
  9. net — in sport
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. bark — to shout
  14. bulb — for light
  15. deal — to handle
  16. chip — to eat
  17. capital — money
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. snap — to click
  23. capital — a city
  24. net — for catching

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