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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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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. staff — employees
  3. capital — a city
  4. clip — a video
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. capital — money
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. staff — a stick
  9. fine — high quality
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. staff — employees
  13. foot — a measure
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. deal — to handle
  18. clip — to cut
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. fine — all right
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. pound — a weight

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