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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: capital · kid · wave · mate · race · stick

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. mate — a friend
  5. capital — a city
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. mate — a partner
  8. kid — to tease
  9. race — a contest
  10. capital — money
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. race — humankind
  13. race — the arms race
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. kid — child
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. wave — a sudden rise

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