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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. clip — a video
  3. mine — for digging
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. capital — money
  6. fine — all right
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. chip — for betting
  9. mate — a partner
  10. chip — to eat
  11. staff — employees
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. clip — to cut
  16. staff — employees
  17. mate — to breed
  18. clip — for paper
  19. fine — high quality
  20. staff — a stick
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. capital — a city

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