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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 beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. clip — a video
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. chip — to eat
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. bark — to shout
  8. clip — for paper
  9. drill — the tool
  10. drill — army training
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. bulb — for light
  14. chip — for betting
  15. capital — a city
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. capital — money
  18. pitch — completely
  19. bulb — for light
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. drill — a practice
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. perch — the fish
  24. clip — to cut

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