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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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  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. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. club — a group
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. clip — a video
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. plane — a tool
  8. race — the arms race
  9. capital — a city
  10. clip — for paper
  11. can — a tin
  12. club — for golf
  13. can — to be able to
  14. race — humankind
  15. club — for dancing
  16. race — a contest
  17. kid — to tease
  18. chip — for betting
  19. kid — child
  20. clip — to cut
  21. chip — to eat
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. can — a tin
  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