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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
468
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: wave · march · sharp · fine · race · capital · coach · row

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. march — the month
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. race — a contest
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. capital — a city
  10. row — to paddle
  11. fine — high quality
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. row — a line
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. march — the month
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. sharp — clever
  19. capital — money
  20. race — the arms race
  21. race — humankind
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. march — music
  24. fine — all right

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