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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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. bear — the animal
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. race — humankind
  5. pit — a hole
  6. bound — obliged
  7. bear — the animal
  8. track — to keep track
  9. bound — certain
  10. track — a path
  11. race — the arms race
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. capital — money
  14. track — a song
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. bound — tied together
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. capital — a city
  20. wind — moving air
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. pit — in a race
  23. wind — moving air
  24. bear — to put up with

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