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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: cabinet · shower · cap · court · spring · wake · cue · pitch

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. court — for sport
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. spring — a coil
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. shower — to wash
  10. cap — a lid
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. pitch — completely
  14. spring — of water
  15. wake — a trail
  16. shower — rain
  17. cue — for pool
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. cue — a signal
  20. cue — a hint
  21. court — of law
  22. cap — a hat
  23. court — of a king
  24. spring — the season

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