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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 120 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 · rule · race · tear · cue · capital · mate · net

  1. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. mate — a friend
  5. mate — a partner
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. cue — a signal
  8. race — a contest
  9. rule — government
  10. net — after costs
  11. rule — a law
  12. net — for catching
  13. net — in sport
  14. tear — from crying
  15. capital — a city
  16. cue — a hint
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. race — the arms race
  19. tear — from crying
  20. mate — to breed
  21. capital — money
  22. race — humankind
  23. tear — to rip
  24. cue — for pool

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