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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: pitcher · firm · key · nail · shower · capital · fan · suit

  1. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. key — for a lock
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. key — the most important part
  6. firm — a company
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. firm — decided
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. firm — steady
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. suit — in cards
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. shower — to wash
  20. shower — rain
  21. key — in music
  22. capital — a city
  23. capital — money
  24. suit — clothes

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