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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 120 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: cap · saw · capital · kid · current · race · scale · row

  1. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. scale — in music
  3. saw — the tool
  4. current — of water
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. cap — of ice
  7. row — a line
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. cap — a hat
  10. current — happening now
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. race — humankind
  13. scale — size or range
  14. cap — a lid
  15. saw — the tool
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. race — the arms race
  18. capital — money
  19. current — electric
  20. capital — a city
  21. kid — child
  22. race — a contest
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. kid — to tease

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