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

Word bank: cap · bass · hide · nail · capital · kid · shower · rest

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. kid — child
  3. shower — rain
  4. bass — low music
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. capital — money
  7. rest — a break
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. bass — the fish
  11. cap — a hat
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. capital — a city
  15. rest — what's left
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. shower — to wash
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. cap — a lid
  20. kid — to tease
  21. cap — of ice
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. rest — what's left
  24. capital — a big letter

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