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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: race · mug · sharp · scale · stand · capital · rule · tear

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. tear — to rip
  3. mug — a face
  4. scale — in music
  5. mug — to rob
  6. sharp — clever
  7. capital — money
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. capital — a city
  10. stand — to bear
  11. race — humankind
  12. scale — size or range
  13. mug — a cup
  14. rule — government
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. tear — from crying
  17. tear — from crying
  18. race — the arms race
  19. race — a contest
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. rule — a law
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. rule — to rule out

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