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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. wake — a trail
  5. race — a contest
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. cold — an illness
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. object — to protest
  10. object — a thing
  11. press — newspapers
  12. capital — a city
  13. race — humankind
  14. press — a publisher
  15. saw — the tool
  16. saw — the tool
  17. capital — money
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. press — to push
  21. object — an aim
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. race — the arms race
  24. cold — not warm

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