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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: cold · press · rock · fine · cap · staff · rash · shower

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. rock — music
  3. cap — of ice
  4. press — a publisher
  5. rash — hasty
  6. staff — employees
  7. rash — a series
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. staff — a stick
  10. cold — not warm
  11. shower — rain
  12. fine — high quality
  13. cold — an illness
  14. staff — employees
  15. press — to push
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. rock — a stone
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. press — newspapers
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. cap — a lid
  22. shower — to wash
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. cap — a hat

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