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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. face — to confront
  4. track — to keep track
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. track — a path
  7. race — a contest
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. present — a gift
  10. race — the arms race
  11. wound — an injury
  12. last — to go on
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. present — the time now
  15. last — finally
  16. present — there
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. face — to point toward
  19. capital — a city
  20. race — humankind
  21. last — final
  22. track — a song
  23. face — part of the head
  24. wound — an injury

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