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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. row — to paddle
  3. clip — a video
  4. tube — the underground
  5. clip — to cut
  6. drill — a practice
  7. tube — a container
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. cell — in biology
  10. capital — money
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. suit — clothes
  13. suit — in cards
  14. row — a line
  15. drill — army training
  16. cell — a phone
  17. clip — for paper
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. suit — to fit
  20. drill — the tool
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. deal — to handle

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