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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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. drill — army training
  3. clip — to cut
  4. spell — magic
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. craft — a skill
  8. clip — for paper
  9. wake — a trail
  10. craft — boats
  11. spell — letters
  12. vault — a safe
  13. chip — to eat
  14. capital — money
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. capital — a city
  20. drill — the tool
  21. spell — a short time
  22. drill — a practice
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. clip — a video

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