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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. net — in sport
  3. net — after costs
  4. race — a contest
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. race — humankind
  8. bear — the animal
  9. bat — the animal
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. bound — certain
  12. rock — a stone
  13. rock — music
  14. bound — obliged
  15. capital — a city
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. bound — tied together
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. net — for catching
  21. race — the arms race
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. bear — the animal

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