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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: rock · ball · racket · game · toast · rush · hand · capital

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. capital — a city
  3. rush — hurry
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. game — wild animals
  8. rock — a stone
  9. game — a match
  10. ball — a great time
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. hand — in cards
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. ball — a dance
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. toast — bread
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. rock — music
  20. capital — money
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. rush — to hurry

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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