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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.

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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: shower · capital · rule · date · foot · hide · pound · face

  1. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. foot — a measure
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. face — part of the head
  5. rule — a law
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. face — to confront
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. rule — government
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. pound — a weight
  14. shower — to wash
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. face — to point toward
  17. date — the fruit
  18. capital — a city
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. shower — rain
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. capital — money
  24. date — on the calendar

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