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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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. face — to point toward
  3. capital — a city
  4. spell — a short time
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. spell — magic
  8. capital — money
  9. face — to confront
  10. face — part of the head
  11. snap — to click
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. race — humankind
  15. spell — letters
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. stock — goods
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. race — a contest
  20. stock — shares
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. rush — hurry
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. lie — to recline

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