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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.

Make a worksheet

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: clip · ball · capital · degree · rock · spring · toast · chip

  1. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  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. chip — in a computer
  2. spring — the season
  3. ball — a dance
  4. capital — a city
  5. chip — for betting
  6. clip — to cut
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. degree — temperature
  12. capital — money
  13. spring — a coil
  14. spring — of water
  15. rock — a stone
  16. clip — a video
  17. degree — from a university
  18. chip — to eat
  19. toast — bread
  20. degree — an amount
  21. clip — for paper
  22. ball — a great time
  23. rock — music
  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