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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.

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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 · race · capital · pass · fork · present · row · hide

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. present — there
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. race — humankind
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. present — the time now
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. row — to paddle
  15. capital — money
  16. present — a gift
  17. race — the arms race
  18. fork — in a road
  19. race — a contest
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. pass — a permit
  23. row — a line
  24. wave — of the sea

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