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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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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: club · hide · rush · cabinet · sharp · chest · ball · shower

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. ball — a dance
  3. sharp — clever
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. club — a group
  6. club — for dancing
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. ball — a great time
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. chest — of your body
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. shower — rain
  20. shower — to wash
  21. club — for golf
  22. chest — a box
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. rush — hurry

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