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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 116 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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. capital — money
  3. race — humankind
  4. craft — boats
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. court — for sport
  8. last — finally
  9. last — to go on
  10. race — a contest
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. craft — a skill
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. court — of law
  19. capital — a city
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. pound — a weight
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. last — final
  24. court — of a king

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