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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: saw · capital · coach · wound · clip · chip · cell · present

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. cell — a phone
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. saw — the tool
  6. present — there
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. chip — for betting
  10. present — a gift
  11. capital — money
  12. capital — a city
  13. clip — to cut
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. cell — in biology
  16. wound — an injury
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. clip — for paper
  19. wound — an injury
  20. present — the time now
  21. clip — a video
  22. chip — to eat
  23. saw — the tool
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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