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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: capital · foot · bowl · rule · object · clip

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. clip — a video
  3. clip — to cut
  4. capital — a city
  5. foot — a measure
  6. clip — for paper
  7. object — an aim
  8. rule — a law
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. object — to protest
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. rule — government
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. object — a thing
  16. capital — money
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. bowl — a dish

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