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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 King held a masked ________________.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. capital — a city
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. capital — money
  5. sharp — clever
  6. ball — a great time
  7. clip — for paper
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. chip — for betting
  11. chip — to eat
  12. mug — a cup
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. mug — a face
  17. clip — a video
  18. clip — to cut
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. mug — to rob

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