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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: toast · rash · shower · rush · lie · mug · fine · chair

  1. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  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. mug — a cup
  2. chair — a leader
  3. rush — hurry
  4. rash — hasty
  5. toast — bread
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. shower — to wash
  11. mug — a face
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. rash — a series
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. fine — high quality
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. lie — to recline
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. mug — to rob
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. fine — all right
  23. fine — a penalty
  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