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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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. race — a contest
  3. suit — clothes
  4. suit — to fit
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. tear — to rip
  7. capital — money
  8. tear — from crying
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. wax — to grow
  13. game — a match
  14. race — humankind
  15. pit — in a race
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. pit — a hole
  19. game — wild animals
  20. capital — a city
  21. race — the arms race
  22. suit — in cards
  23. tear — from crying
  24. coach — a trainer

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