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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: key · mark · band · capital · spell · can · racket · rest

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. capital — money
  3. mark — a trace
  4. capital — a city
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. key — the most important part
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. rest — a break
  11. spell — a short time
  12. key — in music
  13. key — for a lock
  14. mark — a grade
  15. rest — what's left
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. can — to be able to
  18. can — a tin
  19. band — a ring
  20. rest — what's left
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. band — a music group
  23. can — a tin
  24. spell — magic

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