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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. race — a contest
  4. cue — a signal
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. cue — a hint
  7. rule — a law
  8. cue — for pool
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. field — a subject
  13. race — the arms race
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. pitch — completely
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. rule — government
  19. capital — a city
  20. perch — the fish
  21. field — for sport
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. race — humankind
  24. field — farmland

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