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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. spell — letters
  6. capital — a city
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. spell — a short time
  9. race — a contest
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. capital — money
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. stand — to bear
  15. pop — to visit
  16. race — the arms race
  17. pop — music
  18. race — humankind
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. pop — soda
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. spell — magic

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