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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 · track · march

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. 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. capital — a big letter
  2. chip — to eat
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. race — a contest
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. rock — music
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. march — music
  10. track — a path
  11. capital — a city
  12. march — the month
  13. race — the arms race
  14. track — to keep track
  15. rock — a stone
  16. chip — for betting
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. kick — in football
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. march — the month
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. capital — money
  23. track — a song
  24. 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