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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. capital — money
  3. last — to go on
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. race — the arms race
  6. cue — a signal
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. roll — a list
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. capital — a city
  12. cue — a hint
  13. last — final
  14. tear — to rip
  15. cue — for pool
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. race — humankind
  19. tear — from crying
  20. tear — from crying
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. race — a contest
  24. roll — a cake

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