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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. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. capital — a city
  3. race — humankind
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. race — a contest
  6. kick — in football
  7. game — wild animals
  8. pop — to visit
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. band — a music group
  13. game — a match
  14. race — the arms race
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. cap — a lid
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. pop — soda
  19. cap — of ice
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. cap — a hat
  22. pop — music
  23. band — a ring
  24. capital — money

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