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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 · cabinet · bore · chip · shower · pitcher · temple · net

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. shower — rain
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. cap — a lid
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. bore — to drill
  9. shower — to wash
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. net — after costs
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. net — for catching
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. net — in sport
  19. chip — to eat
  20. bore — to tire
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. cap — a hat
  24. chip — for betting

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