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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. 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. toast — bread
  2. race — humankind
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. kick — in football
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. rule — a law
  9. race — the arms race
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. rule — government
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. capital — a city
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. capital — money
  18. 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