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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
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: net · capital · chip · fan · ball · rest · leaves · clip

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. net — for catching
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. net — in sport
  5. rest — what's left
  6. clip — a video
  7. capital — a city
  8. clip — for paper
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. ball — a dance
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. capital — money
  14. net — after costs
  15. rest — a break
  16. ball — a great time
  17. chip — to eat
  18. rest — what's left
  19. clip — to cut
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. chip — for betting
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. leaves — to go away

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