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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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. cap — a lid
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. net — for catching
  5. net — after costs
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. roll — a cake
  8. clip — for paper
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. cap — a hat
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. swing — to play on
  13. swing — in golf
  14. roll — a list
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. capital — a city
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. clip — to cut
  19. swing — music
  20. net — in sport
  21. clip — a video
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. capital — money
  24. cap — of ice

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