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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: cold · foot · cap · shower · pitcher · mug · stock · deal

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. cold — not warm
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. shower — rain
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. shower — to wash
  9. cold — an illness
  10. mug — to rob
  11. cap — a hat
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. mug — a cup
  15. cap — a lid
  16. foot — a measure
  17. stock — shares
  18. stock — goods
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. cap — of ice
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. deal — to handle

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