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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: shower · deal · kick · ruler · clip · season

  1. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. shower — rain
  4. season — of the year
  5. kick — in football
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. clip — for paper
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. shower — to wash
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. clip — a video
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. clip — to cut
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. season — in sport

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