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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: key · mine · race · can · rock · rash · cap · shower

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. cap — of ice
  3. rash — hasty
  4. rock — music
  5. shower — rain
  6. race — the arms race
  7. can — to be able to
  8. key — for a lock
  9. key — in music
  10. rock — a stone
  11. cap — a hat
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. can — a tin
  14. race — a contest
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. rash — a series
  18. key — the most important part
  19. race — humankind
  20. cap — a lid
  21. mine — for digging
  22. can — a tin
  23. shower — to wash
  24. rash — on the skin

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