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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: present · shower · lean · degree · mouse · cold · pitch · rush

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. shower — to wash
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. pitch — completely
  5. degree — from a university
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. degree — an amount
  9. present — a gift
  10. rush — hurry
  11. lean — thin
  12. degree — temperature
  13. lean — to bend
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. present — the time now
  17. cold — not warm
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. present — there
  23. cold — an illness
  24. cold — the Cold War

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