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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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. cell — a phone
  3. capital — money
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. squash — the sport
  6. capital — a city
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. firm — steady
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. race — a contest
  12. race — the arms race
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. squash — to crush
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. cell — in biology
  19. race — humankind
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. lie — to recline
  23. firm — decided
  24. coach — a trainer

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