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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: capital · snap · fork · file · shower · rash · object · race

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. file — a line of people
  3. shower — rain
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. fork — in a road
  6. object — an aim
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. object — a thing
  9. rash — hasty
  10. rash — a series
  11. file — a document
  12. race — the arms race
  13. capital — a city
  14. object — to protest
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. shower — to wash
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. capital — money
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. file — a tool
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. snap — to click
  24. race — humankind

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