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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. mate — a friend
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. bank — of a river
  7. mate — to breed
  8. pitch — completely
  9. capital — money
  10. face — part of the head
  11. race — humankind
  12. bank — for money
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. fork — in a road
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. bank — for money
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. race — the arms race
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. face — to confront
  22. face — to point toward
  23. race — a contest
  24. capital — a city

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