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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 124 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 · season · key · pop · game · plane · shower · wake

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. shower — to wash
  3. season — in sport
  4. wake — a trail
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. key — for a lock
  7. cap — of ice
  8. key — in music
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. key — the most important part
  12. cap — a hat
  13. game — wild animals
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. pop — soda
  16. game — a match
  17. pop — to visit
  18. season — of the year
  19. pop — music
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. shower — rain
  23. plane — a tool
  24. game — a kind of play

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