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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 120 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: cap · current · bowl · cabinet · pop · land · key · shower

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. pop — soda
  3. land — ground
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. current — of water
  7. cap — of ice
  8. key — for a lock
  9. current — electric
  10. cap — a lid
  11. pop — to visit
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. pop — music
  17. key — the most important part
  18. key — in music
  19. shower — to wash
  20. shower — rain
  21. land — to come down
  22. current — happening now
  23. land — a country
  24. bowl — to roll

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