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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: toast · kick · scale · rush · capital · face · racket · deal

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. capital — a city
  3. rush — hurry
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. deal — to handle
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. kick — in football
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. toast — bread
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. scale — in music
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. capital — money
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. face — to point toward
  22. face — part of the head
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. face — to confront

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