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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: face · ruler · chair · wake · capital · shower · lash · suit

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. suit — clothes
  3. shower — to wash
  4. face — part of the head
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. face — to confront
  7. chair — a leader
  8. capital — a city
  9. capital — money
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. suit — in cards
  16. wake — a trail
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. suit — to fit
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. face — to point toward
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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