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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: wake · mark · kid · mug · shower · mine · rule · rush

  1. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. mug — a cup
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. mug — a face
  5. rule — a law
  6. rush — hurry
  7. mark — a trace
  8. rule — government
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. kid — child
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. shower — rain
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. mug — to rob
  19. shower — to wash
  20. mine — for digging
  21. kid — to tease
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. wake — a trail

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