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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. race — humankind
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. spell — a short time
  5. bound — obliged
  6. capital — money
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. game — wild animals
  10. march — music
  11. race — a contest
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. game — a match
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. spell — letters
  17. bound — certain
  18. bound — tied together
  19. spell — magic
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. race — the arms race
  22. march — the month
  23. capital — a city
  24. game — a kind of play

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