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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: staff · game · rest · cap · nail · can · shower · mate

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. rest — what's left
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. cap — a hat
  5. mate — to breed
  6. mate — a partner
  7. game — a match
  8. cap — a lid
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. shower — to wash
  11. rest — what's left
  12. can — a tin
  13. staff — a stick
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. staff — employees
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. cap — of ice
  18. shower — rain
  19. can — to be able to
  20. staff — employees
  21. rest — a break
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. game — wild animals
  24. can — a tin

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