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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: wound · rule · bowl · race · leaves · capital

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. race — humankind
  4. rule — a law
  5. capital — money
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. race — the arms race
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. wound — an injury
  11. rule — government
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. race — a contest
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. wound — an injury
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. capital — a city

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