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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. race — a contest
  3. cue — a hint
  4. race — the arms race
  5. race — humankind
  6. cue — a signal
  7. deal — to handle
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. net — for catching
  11. net — after costs
  12. mark — a trace
  13. capital — a city
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. firm — a company
  16. field — for sport
  17. cue — for pool
  18. mark — a grade
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. field — a subject
  21. field — farmland
  22. net — in sport
  23. firm — decided
  24. firm — steady

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