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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 120 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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. clip — for paper
  3. mug — a cup
  4. cap — of ice
  5. capital — money
  6. track — to keep track
  7. wound — an injury
  8. saw — the tool
  9. saw — the tool
  10. cue — a hint
  11. clip — to cut
  12. wound — an injury
  13. capital — a city
  14. track — a song
  15. cap — a hat
  16. cap — a lid
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. clip — a video
  19. cue — for pool
  20. track — a path
  21. cue — a signal
  22. mug — a face
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. mug — to rob

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