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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. firm — steady
  4. clip — to cut
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. chip — to eat
  7. spell — magic
  8. spell — a short time
  9. staff — employees
  10. wake — a trail
  11. firm — a company
  12. staff — employees
  13. staff — a stick
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. chip — for betting
  17. firm — decided
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. clip — for paper
  20. capital — a city
  21. clip — a video
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. vault — a safe
  24. spell — letters

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