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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. race — a contest
  4. object — to protest
  5. race — humankind
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. object — an aim
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. object — a thing
  12. capital — a city
  13. charge — a price
  14. prune — to trim
  15. band — a ring
  16. prune — to trim
  17. capital — money
  18. race — the arms race
  19. sharp — clever
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. charge — electricity
  24. charge — in control

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