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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: mug · face · shower · pop · cap · nail · current · bat

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. face — part of the head
  3. cap — of ice
  4. face — to confront
  5. shower — to wash
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. current — electric
  9. mug — a face
  10. pop — to visit
  11. current — of water
  12. pop — soda
  13. mug — a cup
  14. face — to point toward
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. cap — a lid
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. mug — to rob
  19. bat — the animal
  20. shower — rain
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. pop — music
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. current — happening now

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