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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: hand · rest · straw · capital · rush · cap · track · saw

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. hand — help
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. cap — a lid
  7. saw — the tool
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. rest — what's left
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. capital — a city
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. rush — hurry
  15. cap — of ice
  16. track — a path
  17. saw — the tool
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. track — to keep track
  20. rest — a break
  21. hand — in cards
  22. rest — what's left
  23. track — a song
  24. cap — a hat

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