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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: mug · field · row · shower · key · rash · season · ruler

  1. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. shower — rain
  4. mug — a cup
  5. key — the most important part
  6. key — for a lock
  7. rash — hasty
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. season — in sport
  10. row — to paddle
  11. key — in music
  12. row — a line
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. field — for sport
  15. shower — to wash
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. rash — a series
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. field — farmland
  20. season — of the year
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. field — a subject
  23. mug — a face
  24. mug — to rob

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