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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: suit · cold · mouse · capital · cell · rock · shower · face

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. face — to point toward
  3. suit — in cards
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. cold — not warm
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. suit — to fit
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. shower — to wash
  11. rock — music
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. rock — a stone
  14. face — part of the head
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. capital — money
  17. cold — an illness
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. capital — a city
  20. face — to confront
  21. cell — in biology
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. cell — a phone
  24. suit — clothes

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