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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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. last — final
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. race — a contest
  8. bound — tied together
  9. race — the arms race
  10. capital — money
  11. mug — to rob
  12. mug — a cup
  13. bound — certain
  14. dip — to sink
  15. race — humankind
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. bound — obliged
  20. last — finally
  21. capital — a city
  22. last — to go on
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. mug — a face

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