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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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. ball — a dance
  3. race — a contest
  4. race — the arms race
  5. capital — a city
  6. land — to come down
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. press — to push
  9. deal — to handle
  10. press — newspapers
  11. staff — employees
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. prune — to trim
  14. staff — a stick
  15. capital — money
  16. ball — a great time
  17. land — ground
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. prune — to trim
  20. land — a country
  21. press — a publisher
  22. staff — employees
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. race — humankind

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