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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: shower · net · suit · capital · date · stem · cue · cap

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. cue — a signal
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. net — in sport
  6. cap — a lid
  7. net — after costs
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. shower — rain
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. stem — to come from
  12. cap — a hat
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. capital — money
  15. date — the fruit
  16. cue — a hint
  17. shower — to wash
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. net — for catching
  20. suit — clothes
  21. suit — to fit
  22. cue — for pool
  23. cap — of ice
  24. suit — in cards

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