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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 120 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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  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. race — a contest
  3. spell — magic
  4. race — the arms race
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. spell — letters
  8. drill — a practice
  9. bound — tied together
  10. drill — army training
  11. drill — the tool
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. rush — hurry
  17. capital — money
  18. bound — obliged
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. capital — a city
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. bound — certain
  23. spell — a short time
  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