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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: lie · capital · race · cabinet · staff · bear · degree · march

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. race — a contest
  3. capital — a city
  4. staff — employees
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. race — humankind
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. degree — from a university
  10. bear — the animal
  11. march — the month
  12. staff — a stick
  13. staff — employees
  14. bear — the animal
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. lie — to recline
  19. degree — an amount
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. march — the month
  22. march — music
  23. capital — money
  24. degree — temperature

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