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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. capital — money
  3. saw — the tool
  4. saw — the tool
  5. face — to point toward
  6. face — part of the head
  7. race — humankind
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. squash — the sport
  10. rash — a series
  11. face — to confront
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. squash — to crush
  18. pitch — completely
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. capital — a city
  23. race — the arms race
  24. race — a contest

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