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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: staff · shower · cap · mine · rule · face · swing · mouse

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. face — to point toward
  3. shower — to wash
  4. swing — in golf
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. rule — a law
  9. shower — rain
  10. staff — a stick
  11. staff — employees
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. face — to confront
  14. cap — a lid
  15. rule — government
  16. swing — to play on
  17. mine — for digging
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. cap — of ice
  21. staff — employees
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. swing — music
  24. face — part of the head

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