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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. ground — the earth
  3. face — to confront
  4. root — the cause
  5. ground — crushed
  6. race — a contest
  7. race — humankind
  8. capital — a city
  9. spell — a short time
  10. ground — a position
  11. root — of a plant
  12. spell — letters
  13. root — of a word
  14. race — the arms race
  15. face — to point toward
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. row — to paddle
  18. spell — magic
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. row — a line
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. face — part of the head

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