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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. pass — a permit
  4. craft — a skill
  5. clip — for paper
  6. rest — a break
  7. pit — in a race
  8. ball — a great time
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. capital — a city
  11. cap — a lid
  12. clip — to cut
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. cap — of ice
  16. clip — a video
  17. rest — what's left
  18. ball — a dance
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. craft — boats
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. rest — what's left
  23. pit — a hole
  24. cap — a hat

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