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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. shower — to wash
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. ground — the earth
  6. face — to confront
  7. capital — a city
  8. face — to point toward
  9. race — the arms race
  10. ground — crushed
  11. game — wild animals
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. ground — a position
  14. shower — rain
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. race — humankind
  19. race — a contest
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. game — a match
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. face — part of the head
  24. rush — hurry

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