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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. capital — money
  3. mate — a partner
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. race — humankind
  6. capital — a city
  7. cap — a lid
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. mate — a friend
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. cap — of ice
  12. track — a path
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. race — a contest
  15. mug — to rob
  16. mate — to breed
  17. track — a song
  18. shower — rain
  19. race — the arms race
  20. mug — a face
  21. cap — a hat
  22. shower — to wash
  23. mug — a cup
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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