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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: squash · snap · shower · fine · rush · stand · kid · pop

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. kid — to tease
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. squash — the sport
  7. pop — music
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. fine — all right
  10. rush — hurry
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. shower — to wash
  13. stand — to bear
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. kid — child
  17. pop — soda
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. shower — rain
  21. fine — high quality
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. snap — to click
  24. squash — to crush

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