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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 · bulb · face · mate · sharp · mark · shower · track

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. mate — a partner
  3. cap — of ice
  4. bulb — for light
  5. shower — to wash
  6. track — a song
  7. face — part of the head
  8. cap — a hat
  9. bulb — for light
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. mate — to breed
  14. face — to point toward
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. track — to keep track
  17. face — to confront
  18. mark — a grade
  19. track — a path
  20. sharp — clever
  21. mark — a trace
  22. mate — a friend
  23. shower — rain
  24. bulb — of a plant

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