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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 116 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 fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. bass — low music
  4. cue — for pool
  5. clip — to cut
  6. cue — a hint
  7. clip — for paper
  8. capital — a city
  9. mate — a friend
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. cue — a signal
  12. mate — to breed
  13. chip — for betting
  14. root — the cause
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. capital — money
  18. mate — a partner
  19. root — of a word
  20. root — of a plant
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. clip — a video
  24. chip — to eat

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