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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: race · shower · spell · object · cabinet · capital · mark · can

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. mark — a trace
  4. race — humankind
  5. can — a tin
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. race — the arms race
  8. capital — a city
  9. capital — money
  10. shower — rain
  11. object — an aim
  12. spell — a short time
  13. race — a contest
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. can — to be able to
  16. object — to protest
  17. can — a tin
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. mark — a grade
  20. spell — letters
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. object — a thing
  24. spell — magic

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