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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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. capital — money
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. file — a line of people
  5. mark — a trace
  6. file — a tool
  7. clip — a video
  8. capital — a city
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. fall — to drop
  11. land — ground
  12. file — a document
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. fall — to drop
  16. land — to come down
  17. clip — to cut
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. clip — for paper
  20. mark — a grade
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. fall — the season
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. land — a country

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