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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 116 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: capital · hand · ground · bass · mug · shower · race · track

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. race — the arms race
  3. bass — the fish
  4. capital — a city
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. mug — a face
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. capital — money
  9. ground — crushed
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. race — a contest
  12. ground — the earth
  13. hand — in cards
  14. shower — rain
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. mug — a cup
  17. bass — low music
  18. race — humankind
  19. track — to keep track
  20. track — a path
  21. mug — to rob
  22. hand — help
  23. shower — to wash
  24. ground — a position

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