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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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  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. race — the arms race
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. wind — moving air
  5. board — to get on
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. fine — high quality
  8. staff — employees
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. wind — moving air
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. board — a committee
  13. race — humankind
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. bear — the animal
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. staff — employees
  18. bear — the animal
  19. fine — all right
  20. race — a contest
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. capital — a city
  23. staff — a stick
  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