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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 120 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 · shower · fall · scale · race · bulb · board · pass

  1. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. shower — to wash
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. shower — rain
  7. race — humankind
  8. race — the arms race
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. capital — a city
  11. board — a committee
  12. pass — a permit
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. fall — to drop
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. capital — money
  17. scale — in music
  18. scale — size or range
  19. fall — to drop
  20. board — to get on
  21. bulb — for light
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. race — a contest
  24. fall — the season

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