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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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. cue — a hint
  3. cue — a signal
  4. craft — a skill
  5. game — a match
  6. cue — for pool
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. capital — a city
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. race — humankind
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. game — wild animals
  14. race — a contest
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. sharp — clever
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. craft — boats
  20. race — the arms race
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. capital — money
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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