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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. last — final
  6. land — to come down
  7. race — humankind
  8. land — ground
  9. cue — for pool
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. suit — clothes
  12. last — to go on
  13. last — finally
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. capital — money
  16. suit — in cards
  17. cue — a signal
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. capital — a city
  20. suit — to fit
  21. race — the arms race
  22. race — a contest
  23. land — a country
  24. cue — a hint

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