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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: land · hand · charge · dip · cue · pound · ruler · shower

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. shower — to wash
  3. pound — a weight
  4. cue — for pool
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. dip — to sink
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. charge — a price
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. cue — a signal
  14. land — ground
  15. charge — electricity
  16. hand — in cards
  17. land — to come down
  18. cue — a hint
  19. land — a country
  20. charge — in control
  21. shower — rain
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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