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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: fan · shower · dip · cold · perch · cue · stick · rash

  1. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. cue — for pool
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. cue — a signal
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. shower — to wash
  11. dip — to sink
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. shower — rain
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. cue — a hint
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. rash — hasty
  21. cold — an illness
  22. perch — the fish
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. cold — not warm

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