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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 116 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: race · pass · deal · last · lie · prune · capital · current

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. capital — a city
  3. current — electric
  4. last — finally
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. last — to go on
  9. last — final
  10. deal — to handle
  11. prune — to trim
  12. race — humankind
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. current — happening now
  15. lie — to recline
  16. prune — to trim
  17. pass — a permit
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. capital — money
  22. current — of water
  23. race — a contest
  24. deal — a big deal

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