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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 120 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: game · tear · capital · club · racket · race · face · plane

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. race — humankind
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. race — the arms race
  5. game — a match
  6. tear — from crying
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. game — wild animals
  9. club — a group
  10. plane — a tool
  11. capital — money
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. face — to point toward
  16. face — part of the head
  17. club — for golf
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. face — to confront
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. club — for dancing
  22. tear — to rip
  23. capital — a city
  24. race — a contest

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