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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 116 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: fan · shower · mug · cap · dip · rock · chair · content

  1. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. cap — a lid
  5. mug — a face
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. mug — a cup
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. dip — to sink
  10. rock — a stone
  11. cap — a hat
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. content — happy
  16. shower — rain
  17. chair — a leader
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. rock — music
  21. cap — of ice
  22. mug — to rob
  23. content — the amount
  24. shower — to wash

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