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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 120 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 was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. pitch — completely
  3. capital — a city
  4. fall — to drop
  5. mate — a friend
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. mate — a partner
  8. rash — a series
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. race — a contest
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. rash — hasty
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. foot — a measure
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. ball — a dance
  17. race — humankind
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. race — the arms race
  20. mate — to breed
  21. fall — the season
  22. fall — to drop
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. capital — money

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