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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. race — a contest
  3. race — the arms race
  4. capital — a city
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. row — to paddle
  10. vault — a safe
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. stand — to bear
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. row — a line
  20. capital — money
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. race — humankind

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