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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: squash · march · race · capital · racket · content

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. content — happy
  3. capital — money
  4. march — the month
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. squash — the sport
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. march — music
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. content — the amount
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. squash — to crush
  13. march — the month
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. race — a contest
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. capital — a city
  18. race — humankind

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