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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
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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: cold · lie · lash · ball · kid · coach · shower · current

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. cold — an illness
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. ball — a dance
  7. current — happening now
  8. cold — not warm
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. kid — to tease
  13. ball — a great time
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. current — of water
  18. lie — to recline
  19. current — electric
  20. shower — rain
  21. shower — to wash
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. kid — child

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