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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: fine · cap · shower · present · wind · face

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. fine — high quality
  3. present — there
  4. present — the time now
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. face — part of the head
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. cap — a hat
  9. cap — of ice
  10. wind — moving air
  11. shower — rain
  12. present — a gift
  13. shower — to wash
  14. wind — moving air
  15. fine — all right
  16. face — to point toward
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. face — to confront

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