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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  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. capital — a city
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. track — a path
  4. track — to keep track
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. rest — what's left
  7. rest — a break
  8. race — humankind
  9. court — of a king
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. track — a song
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. court — for sport
  15. charge — a price
  16. charge — in control
  17. race — a contest
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. rest — what's left
  20. charge — electricity
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. race — the arms race
  23. court — of law
  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