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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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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: game · cap · pop · drill · shower · file · cue · cabinet

  1. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. cap — a lid
  3. pop — soda
  4. cap — a hat
  5. pop — to visit
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. cue — for pool
  9. drill — a practice
  10. shower — to wash
  11. cue — a hint
  12. cap — of ice
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. shower — rain
  15. drill — army training
  16. game — wild animals
  17. game — a match
  18. file — a line of people
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. pop — music
  21. file — a document
  22. file — a tool
  23. cue — a signal
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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