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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. race — the arms race
  3. squash — the sport
  4. race — humankind
  5. face — part of the head
  6. saw — the tool
  7. saw — the tool
  8. lie — to recline
  9. march — the month
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. sharp — clever
  13. squash — to crush
  14. march — the month
  15. face — to confront
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. capital — money
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. march — music
  21. race — a contest
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. face — to point toward

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