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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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. clip — to cut
  3. rest — a break
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. capital — money
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. clip — a video
  8. tear — from crying
  9. tear — to rip
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. key — for a lock
  12. land — ground
  13. tear — from crying
  14. land — to come down
  15. key — in music
  16. club — a group
  17. rest — what's left
  18. land — a country
  19. clip — for paper
  20. club — for golf
  21. rest — what's left
  22. capital — a city
  23. key — the most important part
  24. club — for dancing

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