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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: cap · face · pitch · chip · wound · bass · ruler · shower

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. shower — to wash
  3. wound — an injury
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. bass — the fish
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. shower — rain
  8. chip — to eat
  9. chip — for betting
  10. pitch — completely
  11. cap — a lid
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. bass — low music
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. wound — an injury
  17. face — to confront
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. face — to point toward
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. face — part of the head
  23. cap — a hat
  24. bass — the instrument

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