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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. pit — a hole
  3. prune — to trim
  4. pit — in a race
  5. prune — to trim
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. pop — soda
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. race — the arms race
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. fine — high quality
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. pop — music
  18. pop — to visit
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. capital — money
  22. fine — all right
  23. capital — a city
  24. race — humankind

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