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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. capital — a city
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. capital — money
  7. race — humankind
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. ground — a position
  10. mine — for digging
  11. race — a contest
  12. ground — the earth
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. branch — a division
  15. saw — the tool
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. saw — the tool
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. ground — crushed
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. race — the arms race
  24. branch — of a bank

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