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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: rash · lean · kid · shower · press · foot · pit · wake

  1. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. shower — rain
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. lean — thin
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. rash — hasty
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. press — to push
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. pit — in a race
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. kid — child
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. lean — to bend
  17. wake — a trail
  18. shower — to wash
  19. rash — a series
  20. foot — a measure
  21. pit — a hole
  22. kid — to tease
  23. press — a publisher
  24. press — newspapers

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