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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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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: snap · race · firm · drill · rush · fan · hand · capital

  1. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. hand — in cards
  3. drill — army training
  4. capital — a city
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. rush — hurry
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. capital — money
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. snap — to click
  13. race — a contest
  14. firm — decided
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. firm — a company
  17. race — humankind
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. drill — a practice
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. firm — steady
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. hand — help
  24. race — the arms race

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