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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. net — after costs
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. chip — to eat
  5. chip — for betting
  6. clip — for paper
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. net — in sport
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. clip — to cut
  15. capital — a city
  16. net — for catching
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. clip — a video
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. pass — a permit
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. leaves — lets stay

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