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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. last — to go on
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. race — humankind
  6. field — farmland
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. field — a subject
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. bank — of a river
  11. race — the arms race
  12. field — for sport
  13. bank — for money
  14. craft — a skill
  15. last — finally
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. craft — boats
  19. race — a contest
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. pound — a weight
  22. capital — a city
  23. bank — for money
  24. last — final

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