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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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. track — a song
  3. track — a path
  4. capital — a city
  5. capital — money
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. march — music
  8. track — to keep track
  9. face — to point toward
  10. race — a contest
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. deal — to handle
  13. march — the month
  14. net — for catching
  15. net — in sport
  16. dip — to sink
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. race — humankind
  19. march — the month
  20. face — part of the head
  21. net — after costs
  22. face — to confront
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. deal — an agreement

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