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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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. game — a match
  4. last — to go on
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. wake — a trail
  8. capital — money
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. last — final
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. last — finally
  14. track — a path
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. track — to keep track
  17. race — a contest
  18. capital — a city
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. game — wild animals
  22. race — humankind
  23. track — a song
  24. mouse — for a computer

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