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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. kid — child
  3. key — in music
  4. kid — to tease
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. squash — to crush
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. capital — a city
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. squash — the sport
  12. race — humankind
  13. mine — for digging
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. key — for a lock
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. race — the arms race
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. capital — money
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. key — the most important part

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