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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  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. roll — a cake
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. race — a contest
  5. game — wild animals
  6. bear — the animal
  7. race — humankind
  8. snap — to click
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. game — a match
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. roll — a list
  16. bear — the animal
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. chair — a leader
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. capital — money
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. capital — a city
  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