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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. capital — a city
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. race — the arms race
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. race — humankind
  8. fine — all right
  9. capital — money
  10. kid — to tease
  11. land — to come down
  12. kid — child
  13. land — ground
  14. scale — in music
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. deal — to handle
  18. fine — high quality
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. scale — size or range
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. land — a country
  23. race — a contest
  24. racket — a loud noise

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