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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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. race — the arms race
  4. track — a path
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. capital — money
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. race — a contest
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. deal — to handle
  12. track — a song
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. pit — in a race
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. pit — a hole
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. perch — the fish
  19. dip — to sink
  20. race — humankind
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. track — to keep track

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