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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
468
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: rock · shower · cap · fine · patient · can · mug · game

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. rock — music
  3. mug — a face
  4. cap — a hat
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. mug — a cup
  8. shower — rain
  9. game — wild animals
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. rock — a stone
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. can — a tin
  14. shower — to wash
  15. can — a tin
  16. game — a match
  17. fine — high quality
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. can — to be able to
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. cap — of ice
  22. mug — to rob
  23. fine — all right
  24. rock — to move gently

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