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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 120 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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. race — a contest
  3. charge — in control
  4. saw — the tool
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. key — for a lock
  8. race — humankind
  9. race — the arms race
  10. track — a path
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. capital — money
  13. key — the most important part
  14. capital — a city
  15. track — a song
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. track — to keep track
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. charge — electricity
  20. key — in music
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. saw — the tool
  24. charge — a price

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