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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: cabinet · track · wound · shower · hand · pit · rash · mate

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. pit — in a race
  4. shower — rain
  5. hand — help
  6. mate — to breed
  7. track — a path
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. shower — to wash
  10. mate — a partner
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. wound — an injury
  13. wound — an injury
  14. hand — in cards
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. mate — a friend
  18. track — a song
  19. pit — a hole
  20. rash — a series
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. track — to keep track
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. cabinet — ministers

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