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

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. chip — to eat
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. race — humankind
  5. cap — a hat
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. capital — a city
  8. cap — a lid
  9. prune — to trim
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. race — the arms race
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. cap — of ice
  14. race — a contest
  15. pit — a hole
  16. prune — to trim
  17. face — part of the head
  18. chip — for betting
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. face — to point toward
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. face — to confront
  24. pit — in a race

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