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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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. rush — hurry
  3. race — the arms race
  4. race — humankind
  5. bound — tied together
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. row — to paddle
  8. season — in sport
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. race — a contest
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. dip — to sink
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. rest — what's left
  15. capital — a city
  16. row — a line
  17. bound — obliged
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. bound — certain
  20. rest — a break
  21. capital — money
  22. rest — what's left
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. season — of the year

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