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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.

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: mouse · fine · spring · race · rash · ground · cue · capital

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. fine — high quality
  3. cue — a hint
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. ground — a position
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. spring — a coil
  8. race — a contest
  9. capital — money
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. cue — for pool
  12. spring — the season
  13. race — the arms race
  14. ground — crushed
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. capital — a city
  17. cue — a signal
  18. rash — hasty
  19. race — humankind
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. spring — of water
  22. ground — the earth
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. rash — a series

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