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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. race — humankind
  3. court — of a king
  4. ground — the earth
  5. court — for sport
  6. ground — crushed
  7. game — wild animals
  8. capital — a city
  9. court — of law
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. ground — a position
  15. race — the arms race
  16. race — a contest
  17. rock — a stone
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. current — electric
  21. rock — music
  22. capital — money
  23. current — of water
  24. current — happening now

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