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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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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: wind · capital · bowl · cap · land · saw · race · foot

  1. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. foot — a measure
  4. race — humankind
  5. race — the arms race
  6. wind — moving air
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. capital — money
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. capital — a city
  11. race — a contest
  12. cap — of ice
  13. cap — a hat
  14. cap — a lid
  15. land — to come down
  16. land — a country
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. land — ground
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. saw — the tool
  22. wind — moving air
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. saw — the tool

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