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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: cabinet · race · safe · toast · content · bass · capital · face

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. capital — a city
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. bass — low music
  7. toast — bread
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. capital — money
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. face — part of the head
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. face — to point toward
  15. content — happy
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. bass — the fish
  20. content — the amount
  21. race — a contest
  22. race — the arms race
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. face — to confront

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