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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. race — humankind
  4. stem — to come from
  5. face — part of the head
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. race — the arms race
  8. race — a contest
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. face — to confront
  12. bound — obliged
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. bound — certain
  16. capital — a city
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. capital — money
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. face — to point toward
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. mine — for digging
  24. bowl — a football final

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