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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: stick · kid · bay · racket · scale · capital

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. scale — in music
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. kid — child
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. kid — to tease
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. capital — a city
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. scale — size or range
  18. racket — for tennis

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