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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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. capital — a city
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. capital — money
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. clip — for paper
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. rash — a series
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. clip — to cut
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. clip — a video
  20. stem — to come from
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. rash — hasty
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. sharp — clever

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