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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. mate — to breed
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. race — the arms race
  5. track — a path
  6. mate — a friend
  7. foot — a measure
  8. cap — a hat
  9. capital — money
  10. track — a song
  11. race — humankind
  12. stock — shares
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. cap — of ice
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. mate — a partner
  19. capital — a city
  20. stock — goods
  21. track — to keep track
  22. cap — a lid
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. trunk — of a tree

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