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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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. capital — money
  4. firm — decided
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. capital — a city
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. board — to get on
  9. clip — a video
  10. firm — steady
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. craft — a skill
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. chip — to eat
  16. clip — to cut
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. board — a committee
  20. craft — boats
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. chip — for betting
  23. clip — for paper
  24. sharp — clever

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