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

Word bank: cap · lie · mate · drill · staff · kid · capital · race

  1. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. drill — army training
  3. staff — a stick
  4. mate — a partner
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. cap — a hat
  7. mate — a friend
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. cap — a lid
  10. race — humankind
  11. drill — a practice
  12. race — a contest
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. capital — money
  15. staff — employees
  16. kid — child
  17. cap — of ice
  18. mate — to breed
  19. race — the arms race
  20. staff — employees
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. kid — to tease
  23. drill — the tool
  24. 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