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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 116 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: capital · racket · fan · spell · clip · current · race · rock

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. spell — a short time
  3. rock — music
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. spell — magic
  6. capital — a city
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. clip — for paper
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. current — of water
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. rock — a stone
  13. race — a contest
  14. current — electric
  15. capital — money
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. current — happening now
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. race — humankind
  20. spell — letters
  21. clip — a video
  22. clip — to cut
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. fan — to cool the air

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