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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. clip — to cut
  3. object — to protest
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. object — a thing
  6. clip — a video
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. vault — a safe
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. object — an aim
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. capital — a city
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. hand — in cards
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. hand — help
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. clip — for paper
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. capital — money
  24. nail — for a hammer

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