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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 116 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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. capital — a city
  3. race — a contest
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. firm — a company
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. capital — money
  8. staff — employees
  9. clip — to cut
  10. clip — for paper
  11. pass — a permit
  12. race — the arms race
  13. race — humankind
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. firm — decided
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. land — a country
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. firm — steady
  20. clip — a video
  21. land — to come down
  22. staff — a stick
  23. staff — employees
  24. pass — to succeed

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