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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. capital — a city
  3. staff — a stick
  4. dip — to sink
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. mark — a grade
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. chip — for betting
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. staff — employees
  12. staff — employees
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. clip — a video
  16. chip — to eat
  17. mark — a trace
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. clip — for paper
  23. capital — money
  24. clip — to cut

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