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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: kid · rash · charge · hide · board · deal · ground · shower

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. charge — in control
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. shower — to wash
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. charge — a price
  10. deal — to handle
  11. kid — to tease
  12. shower — rain
  13. board — to get on
  14. ground — crushed
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. ground — a position
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. charge — electricity
  20. rash — hasty
  21. rash — a series
  22. kid — child
  23. board — a committee
  24. ground — the earth

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