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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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. race — humankind
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. mate — to breed
  8. wake — a trail
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. mate — a friend
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. race — a contest
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. ball — a great time
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. capital — a city
  17. deal — to handle
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. ball — a dance
  20. race — the arms race
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. capital — money
  23. lie — to recline
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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