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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 valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. clip — for paper
  3. clip — to cut
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. capital — a city
  7. fine — high quality
  8. craft — a skill
  9. fine — all right
  10. object — an aim
  11. clip — a video
  12. capital — money
  13. land — to come down
  14. object — to protest
  15. track — a song
  16. mug — a face
  17. land — a country
  18. land — ground
  19. mug — a cup
  20. track — a path
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. craft — boats
  23. mug — to rob
  24. track — to keep track

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