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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: shower · chair · wind · drill · cap · suit · present · scale

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. cap — a lid
  3. present — there
  4. shower — to wash
  5. drill — army training
  6. scale — in music
  7. present — a gift
  8. drill — the tool
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. suit — clothes
  11. cap — a hat
  12. suit — in cards
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. shower — rain
  15. suit — to fit
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. chair — a leader
  18. present — the time now
  19. scale — size or range
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. wind — moving air
  22. drill — a practice
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. cap — of ice

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