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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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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: ground · capital · stand · race · foot · mate · spell · plane

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. capital — a city
  3. race — the arms race
  4. spell — a short time
  5. race — a contest
  6. mate — to breed
  7. spell — magic
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. stand — to bear
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. ground — crushed
  13. capital — money
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. race — humankind
  16. plane — a tool
  17. spell — letters
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. ground — the earth
  22. mate — a partner
  23. mate — a friend
  24. foot — a measure

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