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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. race — the arms race
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. mug — a face
  5. suit — in cards
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. capital — money
  8. stem — to come from
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. suit — to fit
  12. shower — rain
  13. race — a contest
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. mug — a cup
  16. pass — a permit
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. shower — to wash
  20. race — humankind
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. suit — clothes
  23. capital — a city
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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