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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: fine · pitcher · capital · fan · cue · current · track · race

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. track — a path
  4. race — a contest
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. capital — money
  7. current — happening now
  8. cue — for pool
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. race — the arms race
  11. capital — a city
  12. fine — high quality
  13. fine — all right
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. cue — a hint
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. race — humankind
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. current — electric
  21. cue — a signal
  22. track — to keep track
  23. current — of water
  24. track — a song

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