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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. capital — money
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. scale — size or range
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. capital — a city
  8. tube — a container
  9. scale — in music
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. clip — a video
  14. clip — to cut
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. tube — the underground
  19. cap — a lid
  20. stand — to bear
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. cap — a hat
  23. cap — of ice
  24. fork — in a road

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