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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. scale — size or range
  3. scale — in music
  4. game — wild animals
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. race — the arms race
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. game — a match
  11. race — humankind
  12. cell — in biology
  13. race — a contest
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. pass — a permit
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. cell — a phone
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. capital — money
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. racket — for tennis

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