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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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. object — a thing
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. prune — to trim
  5. face — to point toward
  6. face — to confront
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. object — an aim
  9. band — a ring
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. rash — hasty
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. capital — money
  16. race — humankind
  17. band — a music group
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. capital — a city
  20. face — part of the head
  21. prune — to trim
  22. race — a contest
  23. rash — a series
  24. object — to protest

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