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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: shower · rule · cell · rock · suit · fan · season · capital

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. suit — to fit
  4. season — in sport
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. shower — rain
  8. suit — in cards
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. cell — a phone
  11. rock — music
  12. rock — a stone
  13. cell — in biology
  14. rule — a law
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. suit — clothes
  19. season — of the year
  20. rule — government
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. capital — money
  23. capital — a city
  24. shower — to wash

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