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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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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: cap · march · straw · hide · firm · shower · rule · kick

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. firm — a company
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. kick — in football
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. cap — a lid
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. cap — of ice
  13. rule — a law
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. cap — a hat
  17. firm — decided
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. march — the month
  20. shower — rain
  21. rule — government
  22. firm — steady
  23. march — music
  24. march — the month

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