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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: pit · rash · hand · mug · face · pop · can · shower

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. shower — rain
  3. mug — to rob
  4. face — part of the head
  5. can — a tin
  6. shower — to wash
  7. mug — a cup
  8. face — to confront
  9. can — to be able to
  10. rash — a series
  11. pit — in a race
  12. pop — music
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. mug — a face
  15. pop — to visit
  16. can — a tin
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. hand — in cards
  20. pop — soda
  21. pit — a hole
  22. face — to point toward
  23. hand — help
  24. rash — hasty

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