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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: lash · cap · firm · capital · file · nail · clip · land

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. land — a country
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. file — a tool
  5. clip — for paper
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. file — a line of people
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. firm — decided
  10. firm — a company
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. land — to come down
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. clip — a video
  17. capital — a city
  18. cap — a lid
  19. clip — to cut
  20. file — a document
  21. cap — of ice
  22. cap — a hat
  23. firm — steady
  24. land — ground

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