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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: race · land · swing · plane · racket · scale · capital · stick

  1. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. land — to come down
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. plane — a tool
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. land — a country
  13. swing — in golf
  14. race — the arms race
  15. capital — money
  16. land — ground
  17. scale — in music
  18. race — a contest
  19. race — humankind
  20. capital — a city
  21. swing — to play on
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. scale — size or range

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