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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 116 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. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. race — a contest
  3. rest — a break
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. prune — to trim
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. rule — a law
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. rule — government
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. race — the arms race
  12. capital — money
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. game — wild animals
  15. prune — to trim
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. game — a match
  18. rest — what's left
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. capital — a city
  21. fine — high quality
  22. race — humankind
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. fine — all right

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