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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. race — a contest
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. kick — in football
  9. face — to point toward
  10. capital — money
  11. object — to protest
  12. face — to confront
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. race — the arms race
  16. rash — a series
  17. object — an aim
  18. face — part of the head
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. capital — a city
  21. object — a thing
  22. race — humankind
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. leaves — to go away

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