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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. hand — help
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. spring — a coil
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. cap — a hat
  8. shower — to wash
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. hand — in cards
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. spring — the season
  14. cap — of ice
  15. spring — of water
  16. band — a music group
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. band — a ring
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. shower — rain

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