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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 116 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: capital · cell · racket · plane · clip · saw · race · chip

  1. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. race — humankind
  3. clip — to cut
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. clip — for paper
  6. race — the arms race
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. saw — the tool
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. cell — a phone
  11. saw — the tool
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. cell — in biology
  15. chip — for betting
  16. capital — money
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. chip — to eat
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. capital — a city
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. clip — a video
  24. race — a contest

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