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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · nail · suit · wake · race · tear · hand · pitcher

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. tear — to rip
  6. cap — a lid
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. suit — clothes
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. race — a contest
  13. tear — from crying
  14. suit — in cards
  15. tear — from crying
  16. race — the arms race
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. cap — a hat
  19. wake — a trail
  20. suit — to fit
  21. race — humankind
  22. cap — of ice
  23. hand — in cards
  24. hand — help

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