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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. ball — a dance
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. file — a tool
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. file — a line of people
  12. season — in sport
  13. race — a contest
  14. ball — a great time
  15. file — a document
  16. season — of the year
  17. can — to be able to
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. race — humankind
  20. capital — a city
  21. race — the arms race
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. can — a tin
  24. can — a tin

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