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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: temple · capital · race · date · sharp · deal · cap · snap

  1. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. deal — to handle
  3. cap — of ice
  4. capital — a city
  5. sharp — clever
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. cap — a hat
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. race — the arms race
  11. race — a contest
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. cap — a lid
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. race — humankind
  16. capital — money
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. snap — to click
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. date — the fruit
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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