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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. race — the arms race
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. land — to come down
  5. capital — a city
  6. fall — the season
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. fall — to drop
  9. spring — the season
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. row — a line
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. row — to paddle
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. fall — to drop
  17. spring — a coil
  18. capital — money
  19. race — humankind
  20. race — a contest
  21. spring — of water
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. land — a country
  24. land — ground

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