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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 120 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: cap · board · foot · nail · clip · chip · bay · capital

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. cap — a lid
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. clip — for paper
  7. chip — to eat
  8. board — to get on
  9. capital — money
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. foot — a measure
  14. clip — a video
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. board — a committee
  17. cap — of ice
  18. clip — to cut
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. capital — a city
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. chip — for betting
  24. nail — for a hammer

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