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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: toast · leaves · swing · fine · fan · capital · ball · clip

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. capital — a city
  3. capital — money
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. swing — to play on
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. fine — high quality
  9. clip — for paper
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. clip — to cut
  13. swing — music
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. swing — in golf
  17. ball — a great time
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. fine — all right
  22. ball — a dance
  23. toast — bread
  24. capital — a big letter

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