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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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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: branch · capital · rush · ball · arm · race · current · last

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. race — a contest
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. current — happening now
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. rush — hurry
  8. current — electric
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. ball — a great time
  11. branch — a division
  12. race — humankind
  13. ball — a dance
  14. last — final
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. capital — a city
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. race — the arms race
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. current — of water
  21. capital — money
  22. last — finally
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. ball — a round shape

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