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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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Word bank
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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 pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. mate — a friend
  3. mate — a partner
  4. mate — to breed
  5. capital — a city
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. cell — in biology
  8. race — a contest
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. capital — money
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. race — humankind
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. game — a match
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. cell — a phone
  24. race — the arms race

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