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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: deal · capital · clip · spell · chip · wake · stock · lean

  1. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. clip — for paper
  3. capital — money
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. wake — a trail
  7. spell — letters
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. chip — to eat
  10. clip — a video
  11. lean — thin
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. spell — magic
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. clip — to cut
  17. stock — goods
  18. capital — a city
  19. stock — shares
  20. lean — to bend
  21. spell — a short time
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. deal — to handle
  24. capital — a big letter

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