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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. race — a contest
  4. race — the arms race
  5. spring — a coil
  6. scale — size or range
  7. rush — hurry
  8. charge — a price
  9. spring — the season
  10. bound — obliged
  11. scale — in music
  12. charge — electricity
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. spring — of water
  15. shower — to wash
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. bound — certain
  18. bound — tied together
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. capital — a city
  21. shower — rain
  22. race — humankind
  23. charge — in control
  24. scale — for weighing

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