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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: band · race · game · wake · hide · capital · mate · rush

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. mate — a friend
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. capital — a city
  6. capital — money
  7. wake — a trail
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. race — the arms race
  10. band — a ring
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. band — a music group
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. rush — hurry
  15. mate — a partner
  16. mate — to breed
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. race — humankind
  19. race — a contest
  20. game — wild animals
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. game — a match
  24. game — a kind of play

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