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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: cap · cabinet · deal · saw · race · capital · hand · scale

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. cap — a hat
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. hand — help
  5. capital — a city
  6. hand — in cards
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. capital — money
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. cap — of ice
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. deal — to handle
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. scale — size or range
  17. scale — in music
  18. race — humankind
  19. race — the arms race
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. saw — the tool
  23. race — a contest
  24. saw — the tool

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