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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: capital · tear · racket · row · mark · shower · rush · cue

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. tear — from crying
  3. shower — rain
  4. cue — a signal
  5. capital — a city
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. row — a line
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. capital — money
  10. tear — from crying
  11. cue — for pool
  12. rush — hurry
  13. mark — a grade
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. shower — to wash
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. row — to paddle
  20. tear — to rip
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. cue — a hint
  24. mark — a trace

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