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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: bear · pop · nail · race · deal · rash · land · capital

  1. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. land — a country
  3. land — to come down
  4. pop — to visit
  5. bear — the animal
  6. bear — the animal
  7. rash — hasty
  8. pop — music
  9. pop — soda
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. capital — money
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. rash — a series
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. capital — a city
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. land — ground
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. race — a contest
  22. race — the arms race
  23. race — humankind
  24. nail — for a hammer

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