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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 ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. capital — money
  3. mug — a face
  4. saw — the tool
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. saw — the tool
  7. clip — for paper
  8. clip — a video
  9. firm — steady
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. clip — to cut
  12. chip — to eat
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. firm — decided
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. mug — to rob
  17. chip — for betting
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. mug — a cup
  22. firm — a company
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  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