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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: can · snap · nail · shower · pit · capital · stock · fan

  1. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. snap — to click
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. pit — a hole
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. capital — a city
  12. shower — rain
  13. capital — money
  14. stock — goods
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. shower — to wash
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. stock — shares
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. pit — in a race
  22. can — to be able to
  23. can — a tin
  24. nail — for a hammer

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