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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 120 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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. tear — from crying
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. race — a contest
  5. mine — for digging
  6. capital — money
  7. race — humankind
  8. cue — for pool
  9. cue — a hint
  10. face — part of the head
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. face — to point toward
  14. mug — a cup
  15. tear — from crying
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. capital — a city
  18. cue — a signal
  19. mug — a face
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. mug — to rob
  22. race — the arms race
  23. tear — to rip
  24. face — to confront

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