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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  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. mug — to rob
  2. race — a contest
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. bear — the animal
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. spell — magic
  10. capital — money
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. capital — a city
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. prune — to trim
  16. mug — a cup
  17. mug — a face
  18. bear — the animal
  19. spell — a short time
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. prune — to trim
  22. race — the arms race
  23. spell — letters
  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