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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. chip — for betting
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. chip — to eat
  6. cap — a hat
  7. bear — the animal
  8. suit — clothes
  9. clip — to cut
  10. capital — money
  11. clip — for paper
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. bear — the animal
  14. suit — to fit
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. cap — of ice
  17. capital — a city
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. cap — a lid
  21. rule — a law
  22. rule — government
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. clip — a video

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