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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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. capital — a city
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. wound — an injury
  9. race — the arms race
  10. wound — an injury
  11. charge — in control
  12. race — a contest
  13. march — the month
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. charge — a price
  16. charge — electricity
  17. march — the month
  18. wind — moving air
  19. wind — moving air
  20. march — music
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. capital — money
  23. deal — to handle
  24. race — humankind

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