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

Word bank: bay · clip · craft · mouse · charge · tear · object · capital

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. tear — to rip
  3. craft — boats
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. object — a thing
  8. charge — electricity
  9. tear — from crying
  10. tear — from crying
  11. capital — money
  12. clip — a video
  13. clip — for paper
  14. charge — a price
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. object — an aim
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. craft — a skill
  19. charge — in control
  20. clip — to cut
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. object — to protest

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