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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: pass · pitcher · deal · capital · spell · chest · bulb · race

  1. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. race — humankind
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. chest — of your body
  5. capital — money
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. spell — magic
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. spell — a short time
  11. capital — a city
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. race — a contest
  15. spell — letters
  16. chest — of your body
  17. chest — a box
  18. bulb — for light
  19. pass — a permit
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. race — the arms race
  22. deal — to handle
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. pass — to spend time

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