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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 120 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: capital · press · shower · racket · cap · face · tube · deal

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. cap — a lid
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. capital — a city
  5. face — to confront
  6. deal — to handle
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. shower — to wash
  9. press — a publisher
  10. tube — the underground
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. face — part of the head
  13. cap — a hat
  14. tube — a container
  15. press — newspapers
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. cap — of ice
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. shower — rain
  20. face — to point toward
  21. capital — money
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. press — to push

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