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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 116 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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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: key · race · row · chip · wave · sharp · last · capital

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. key — in music
  5. key — the most important part
  6. capital — a city
  7. race — humankind
  8. sharp — clever
  9. row — to paddle
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. last — finally
  12. chip — to eat
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. race — a contest
  17. capital — money
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. last — final
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. race — the arms race
  22. last — to go on
  23. row — a line
  24. chip — for betting

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