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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: rule · cap · fan · straw · drill · kick · shower · lash

  1. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. kick — in football
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. cap — a hat
  5. rule — government
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. drill — army training
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. shower — rain
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. cap — of ice
  17. cap — a lid
  18. shower — to wash
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. rule — a law
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. drill — the tool
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. lash — an eyelash

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