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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 · pit · sharp · content · straw · season · mouse · capital

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. capital — a city
  3. race — the arms race
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. content — the amount
  6. capital — money
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. sharp — clever
  10. pit — a hole
  11. pit — in a race
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. season — in sport
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. season — of the year
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. content — happy
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. race — humankind

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