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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. sharp — clever
  4. mark — a trace
  5. capital — a city
  6. clip — a video
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. suit — clothes
  13. capital — money
  14. degree — an amount
  15. race — humankind
  16. mark — a grade
  17. suit — in cards
  18. degree — from a university
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. degree — temperature
  21. race — the arms race
  22. suit — to fit
  23. clip — for paper
  24. clip — to cut

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