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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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Word bank
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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: present · chest · race · stick · fan · capital

  1. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. present — the time now
  3. capital — a city
  4. chest — of your body
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. chest — a box
  7. chest — of your body
  8. race — a contest
  9. present — there
  10. race — the arms race
  11. race — humankind
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. capital — money
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. present — a gift
  18. stick — a piece of wood

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