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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: nail · fine · capital · season · race · ball · last · bay

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. fine — all right
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. race — the arms race
  8. last — finally
  9. fine — high quality
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. race — a contest
  12. capital — money
  13. season — in sport
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. last — final
  16. ball — a great time
  17. season — of the year
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. capital — a city
  22. last — to go on
  23. race — humankind
  24. nail — for a hammer

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