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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 116 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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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: press · shower · rash · swing · mate · lie · cabinet · fan

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. rash — hasty
  3. swing — to play on
  4. shower — to wash
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. rash — a series
  8. mate — to breed
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. swing — music
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. swing — in golf
  16. mate — a friend
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. press — to push
  20. press — newspapers
  21. shower — rain
  22. lie — to recline
  23. press — a publisher
  24. mate — a partner

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