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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. firm — a company
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. drill — the tool
  6. firm — decided
  7. clip — to cut
  8. drill — army training
  9. charge — electricity
  10. clip — for paper
  11. clip — a video
  12. charge — a price
  13. firm — steady
  14. charge — in control
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. snap — to click
  17. capital — a city
  18. drill — a practice

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