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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. rash — hasty
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. shower — rain
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. chip — to eat
  9. chip — for betting
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. object — an aim
  12. bank — of a river
  13. hand — in cards
  14. object — to protest
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. hand — help
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. shower — to wash
  20. rash — a series
  21. bank — for money
  22. bank — for money
  23. object — a thing
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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