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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: shower · can · rest · cabinet · mate · ruler · rash · hide

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. rest — a break
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. can — to be able to
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. rash — hasty
  8. mate — to breed
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. mate — a friend
  12. shower — rain
  13. can — a tin
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. mate — a partner
  18. rash — a series
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. rest — what's left
  21. shower — to wash
  22. can — a tin
  23. rest — what's left
  24. rash — on the skin

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