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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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. race — humankind
  5. object — to protest
  6. capital — a city
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. object — a thing
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. band — a music group
  15. race — a contest
  16. chair — a leader
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. capital — money
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. deal — to handle
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. race — the arms race
  24. object — an aim

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