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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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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: wave · racket · race · last · pass · court · roll · capital

  1. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. court — of a king
  4. race — a contest
  5. court — for sport
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. last — final
  8. race — humankind
  9. capital — money
  10. last — finally
  11. court — of law
  12. pass — a permit
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. last — to go on
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. roll — a list
  21. race — the arms race
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. roll — a cake
  24. capital — a city

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