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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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. tube — a container
  3. tube — the underground
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. capital — a city
  6. scale — in music
  7. capital — money
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. race — a contest
  13. rush — hurry
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. scale — size or range
  16. race — humankind
  17. mine — for digging
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. race — the arms race
  24. mine — belonging to me

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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