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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: toast · capital · cabinet · racket · bulb · spell · race · stick

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. spell — letters
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. capital — a city
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. bulb — for light
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. race — humankind
  10. spell — a short time
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. spell — magic
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. bulb — for light
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. toast — bread
  20. race — the arms race
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. race — a contest
  24. capital — money

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