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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. clip — to cut
  5. clip — a video
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. capital — money
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. chip — to eat
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. mine — for digging
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. clip — for paper
  16. chip — for betting
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. wake — a trail

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