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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. clip — a video
  7. ball — a great time
  8. tube — the underground
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. fork — in a road
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. capital — a city
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. clip — for paper
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. capital — money
  18. ball — a dance
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. tube — a container
  21. deal — to handle
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. arm — part of the body

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