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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. mug — a face
  3. swing — to play on
  4. track — a path
  5. race — humankind
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. capital — money
  9. race — the arms race
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. race — a contest
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. track — a song
  15. track — to keep track
  16. mug — to rob
  17. sharp — clever
  18. mug — a cup
  19. swing — in golf
  20. rule — a law
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. capital — a city
  23. swing — music
  24. rule — government

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