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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: pit · race · capital · object · suit · clip

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. pit — in a race
  3. suit — to fit
  4. race — a contest
  5. suit — clothes
  6. clip — for paper
  7. object — a thing
  8. clip — to cut
  9. capital — money
  10. capital — a city
  11. suit — in cards
  12. pit — a hole
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. object — to protest
  16. object — an aim
  17. race — the arms race
  18. clip — a video

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