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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 ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. present — there
  4. bass — low music
  5. present — a gift
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. rush — hurry
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. capital — a city
  11. clip — for paper
  12. clip — to cut
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. bass — the fish
  15. clip — a video
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. capital — money
  18. chip — to eat
  19. chip — for betting
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. present — the time now

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