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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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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: last · land · capital · cue · object · pitcher · race · scale

  1. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. object — to protest
  3. cue — for pool
  4. last — final
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. scale — in music
  8. race — the arms race
  9. capital — money
  10. land — a country
  11. race — a contest
  12. last — to go on
  13. last — finally
  14. land — to come down
  15. cue — a signal
  16. land — ground
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. capital — a city
  19. object — an aim
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. scale — size or range
  22. race — humankind
  23. cue — a hint
  24. capital — a big letter

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