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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: game · rule · squash · lie · fine · jam · shower · hand

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. squash — to crush
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. fine — high quality
  8. rule — government
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. squash — the sport
  11. shower — to wash
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. game — a match
  14. hand — help
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. shower — rain
  17. fine — all right
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. rule — a law
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. game — wild animals
  23. lie — to recline
  24. hand — in cards

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