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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 pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. race — humankind
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. pop — soda
  5. race — the arms race
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. capital — money
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. race — a contest
  10. capital — a city
  11. march — music
  12. season — in sport
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. swing — in golf
  15. season — of the year
  16. swing — music
  17. swing — to play on
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. pop — music
  20. game — a match
  21. pop — to visit
  22. march — the month
  23. march — the month
  24. capital — a big letter

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