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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. clip — to cut
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. bank — for money
  5. mark — a grade
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. suit — to fit
  8. capital — money
  9. mug — a cup
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. bore — to drill
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. mug — to rob
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. bore — to tire
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. bank — for money
  18. mark — a trace
  19. mug — a face
  20. clip — for paper
  21. suit — in cards
  22. suit — clothes
  23. clip — a video
  24. bank — of a river

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