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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 116 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 sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. capital — a city
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. rush — hurry
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. court — for sport
  10. court — of a king
  11. current — of water
  12. current — happening now
  13. race — humankind
  14. court — of law
  15. firm — steady
  16. mine — for digging
  17. firm — decided
  18. capital — money
  19. firm — a company
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. race — the arms race
  22. current — electric
  23. race — a contest
  24. mine — an explosive

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