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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. rush — hurry
  3. bound — tied together
  4. mug — a face
  5. capital — money
  6. rock — music
  7. bound — certain
  8. hand — help
  9. club — for golf
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. race — the arms race
  13. capital — a city
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. mug — to rob
  16. hand — in cards
  17. rock — a stone
  18. club — a group
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. mug — a cup
  21. club — for dancing
  22. race — humankind
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. bound — obliged

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