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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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. pitch — completely
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. track — to keep track
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. capital — a city
  13. rock — music
  14. spring — of water
  15. spring — the season
  16. race — the arms race
  17. capital — money
  18. track — a path
  19. track — a song
  20. race — humankind
  21. spring — a coil
  22. foot — a measure
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. rock — a stone

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