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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 · capital · race · cap · bat · snap · pound · nail

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. capital — money
  4. spell — magic
  5. race — humankind
  6. race — the arms race
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. cap — of ice
  11. cap — a hat
  12. spell — a short time
  13. cap — a lid
  14. capital — a city
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. spell — letters
  17. pound — a weight
  18. bat — the animal
  19. snap — to click
  20. race — a contest
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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