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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 124 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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  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. race — the arms race
  2. face — to confront
  3. capital — a city
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. bore — to drill
  7. snap — to click
  8. game — wild animals
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. capital — money
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. race — a contest
  15. game — a match
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. mine — for digging
  20. face — part of the head
  21. bore — to tire
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. face — to point toward
  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