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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: dip · lie · cap · stand · chair · plane · rash · shower

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. cap — a lid
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. plane — a tool
  7. shower — to wash
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. rash — a series
  13. shower — rain
  14. lie — to recline
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. stand — to bear
  18. chair — a leader
  19. cap — of ice
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. dip — to sink
  22. rash — hasty
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. stand — for spectators

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