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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: bulb · toast · cold · rash · shower · foot · hide · deal

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. rash — a series
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. foot — a measure
  7. shower — to wash
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. deal — to handle
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. cold — an illness
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. bulb — for light
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. bulb — for light
  19. rash — hasty
  20. toast — bread
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. cold — not warm
  24. shower — rain

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