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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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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: pit · wax · clip · capital · cell · cap · roll · ball

  1. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. wax — to grow
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. clip — to cut
  5. clip — for paper
  6. roll — a list
  7. cell — in biology
  8. pit — a hole
  9. roll — a cake
  10. cap — a hat
  11. cell — a phone
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. capital — a city
  14. ball — a dance
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. capital — money
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. ball — a great time
  21. cap — of ice
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. clip — a video
  24. cap — a lid

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