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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 124 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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. clip — a video
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. press — newspapers
  7. clip — for paper
  8. pit — a hole
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. pit — in a race
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. chip — to eat
  14. land — ground
  15. saw — the tool
  16. capital — a city
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. press — a publisher
  19. land — to come down
  20. press — to push
  21. clip — to cut
  22. capital — money
  23. land — a country
  24. saw — the tool

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