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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: scale · race · lean · racket · capital · stick · hand · squash

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. race — a contest
  3. hand — help
  4. capital — money
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. scale — in music
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. squash — to crush
  11. lean — thin
  12. hand — in cards
  13. squash — the sport
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. lean — to bend
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. capital — a city
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. race — humankind
  23. scale — size or range
  24. scale — for weighing

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