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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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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: drill · shower · cap · sharp · press · face · spell · season

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. shower — rain
  3. season — in sport
  4. cap — a hat
  5. face — part of the head
  6. spell — a short time
  7. face — to confront
  8. face — to point toward
  9. drill — the tool
  10. spell — letters
  11. season — of the year
  12. press — to push
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. spell — magic
  16. sharp — clever
  17. drill — a practice
  18. press — a publisher
  19. cap — of ice
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. drill — army training
  22. press — newspapers
  23. shower — to wash
  24. sharp — with an edge

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