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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: cue · clip · deal · bark · capital · perch · chip · file

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. cue — for pool
  3. capital — a city
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. deal — to handle
  7. clip — to cut
  8. chip — to eat
  9. cue — a signal
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. file — a line of people
  12. clip — for paper
  13. clip — a video
  14. cue — a hint
  15. file — a document
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. chip — for betting
  18. file — a tool
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. perch — the fish
  23. bark — to shout
  24. capital — money

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