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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: bank · shower · kick · toast · chair · mouse · rash · key

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. key — for a lock
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. key — the most important part
  9. shower — to wash
  10. chair — a leader
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. rash — a series
  14. shower — rain
  15. bank — for money
  16. kick — in football
  17. bank — for money
  18. key — in music
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. toast — bread
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. bank — of a river
  24. mouse — for a computer

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