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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: band · game · shower · pop · current · face · ball · cap

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. pop — soda
  3. face — part of the head
  4. game — wild animals
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. band — a ring
  8. face — to point toward
  9. cap — a hat
  10. game — a match
  11. cap — of ice
  12. current — happening now
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. shower — to wash
  15. ball — a dance
  16. pop — to visit
  17. cap — a lid
  18. current — of water
  19. band — a music group
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. ball — a great time
  22. face — to confront
  23. current — electric
  24. pop — music

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