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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'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. capital — a city
  4. rest — what's left
  5. date — the fruit
  6. pit — a hole
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. land — to come down
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. pit — in a race
  12. degree — from a university
  13. land — a country
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. degree — temperature
  17. race — the arms race
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. race — humankind
  20. degree — an amount
  21. rest — what's left
  22. capital — money
  23. race — a contest
  24. rest — a break

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