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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: shower · cue · cold · ruler · kick · dip · coach · lie

  1. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. shower — to wash
  4. cold — an illness
  5. shower — rain
  6. cue — a signal
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. lie — to recline
  9. dip — to sink
  10. cue — for pool
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. kick — in football
  17. cue — a hint
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. cold — not warm
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. ruler — for measuring

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