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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  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. bowl — a football final
  3. drill — the tool
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. pass — a permit
  8. drill — army training
  9. race — humankind
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. race — a contest
  12. pop — music
  13. pop — to visit
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. drill — a practice
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. race — the arms race
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. pop — soda
  23. bay — a horse colour
  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