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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. capital — a city
  3. last — final
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. capital — money
  7. race — humankind
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. season — of the year
  11. roll — a cake
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. last — finally
  15. roll — a list
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. craft — boats
  18. season — in sport
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. race — a contest
  21. pitch — completely
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. craft — a skill
  24. race — the arms 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