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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. clip — for paper
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. cold — not warm
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. capital — money
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. cold — an illness
  10. charge — a price
  11. clip — a video
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. land — to come down
  14. charge — in control
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. capital — a city
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. vault — a safe
  19. charge — electricity
  20. clip — to cut
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. pass — a permit
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. land — ground

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