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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: spell · racket · capital · stick · roll · race · kick · kid

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. race — the arms race
  5. spell — magic
  6. spell — letters
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. roll — a cake
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. roll — a list
  11. capital — a city
  12. capital — money
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. race — a contest
  16. spell — a short time
  17. kid — to tease
  18. kick — in football
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. race — humankind
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. kid — child

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