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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 · cue · hide · dip · present · bat

  1. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. shower — rain
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. bat — the animal
  5. cue — for pool
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. present — there
  8. cue — a signal
  9. present — the time now
  10. present — a gift
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. cue — a hint
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. dip — to sink
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. shower — to wash

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