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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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. clip — a video
  3. capital — a city
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. game — a match
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. tear — from crying
  8. clip — for paper
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. deal — to handle
  11. date — the fruit
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. tear — to rip
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. tear — from crying
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. mark — a grade
  19. clip — to cut
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. game — wild animals
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. capital — money

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