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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: rush · jam · spell · capital · can · drill · chest · fan

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. spell — letters
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. drill — army training
  7. can — a tin
  8. spell — a short time
  9. drill — a practice
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. chest — of your body
  12. capital — money
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. can — a tin
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. can — to be able to
  19. capital — a city
  20. chest — of your body
  21. chest — a box
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. spell — magic
  24. drill — the tool

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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