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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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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: chest · shower · race · rash · bore · kick · mark · ground

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. shower — rain
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. race — humankind
  6. rash — a series
  7. ground — the earth
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. chest — of your body
  10. race — the arms race
  11. chest — of your body
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. mark — a trace
  14. kick — in football
  15. shower — to wash
  16. chest — a box
  17. bore — to drill
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. bore — to tire
  20. race — a contest
  21. ground — crushed
  22. ground — a position
  23. rash — hasty
  24. mark — a grade

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