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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: craft · suit · shower · toast · key · wind · capital · field

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. suit — clothes
  3. field — a subject
  4. shower — to wash
  5. field — for sport
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. craft — boats
  9. wind — moving air
  10. key — in music
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. key — the most important part
  14. toast — bread
  15. capital — money
  16. field — farmland
  17. key — for a lock
  18. craft — a skill
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. shower — rain
  22. suit — in cards
  23. wind — moving air
  24. suit — to fit

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