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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: bass · chest · fine · face · capital · mouse · clip · staff

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. staff — a stick
  5. clip — to cut
  6. face — part of the head
  7. fine — high quality
  8. face — to confront
  9. staff — employees
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. face — to point toward
  12. chest — a box
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. clip — for paper
  16. staff — employees
  17. chest — of your body
  18. chest — of your body
  19. bass — the fish
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. fine — all right
  22. capital — a city
  23. bass — low music
  24. capital — money

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