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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: rock · pitcher · race · chip · kick · capital

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. rock — a stone
  3. capital — a city
  4. rock — music
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. chip — to eat
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. race — humankind
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. capital — money
  15. chip — for betting
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. kick — in football
  18. race — a contest

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