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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 120 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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. race — the arms race
  3. mark — a grade
  4. bound — obliged
  5. capital — money
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. cue — a signal
  8. capital — a city
  9. cue — for pool
  10. clip — a video
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. press — newspapers
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. race — humankind
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. bound — certain
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. press — to push
  19. clip — for paper
  20. cue — a hint
  21. clip — to cut
  22. bound — tied together
  23. press — a publisher
  24. mark — a trace

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