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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: capital · toast · shower · jam · saw · race

  1. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. saw — the tool
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. race — a contest
  6. saw — the tool
  7. shower — rain
  8. toast — bread
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. shower — to wash
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. race — humankind
  13. race — the arms race
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. capital — a city
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. capital — money
  18. jam — to spread on bread

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