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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: can · race · swing · capital · bore · clip · chip · vault

  1. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. capital — money
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. can — a tin
  5. bore — to tire
  6. chip — for betting
  7. clip — a video
  8. clip — for paper
  9. swing — in golf
  10. clip — to cut
  11. race — a contest
  12. swing — to play on
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. can — to be able to
  16. capital — a city
  17. vault — a safe
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. can — a tin
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. chip — to eat
  22. race — humankind
  23. race — the arms race
  24. swing — music

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