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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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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: shower · charge · deal · kick · leaves · cold · race · pound

  1. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. cold — an illness
  4. race — a contest
  5. charge — a price
  6. charge — in control
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. kick — in football
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. deal — to handle
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. charge — electricity
  16. cold — not warm
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. race — humankind
  20. shower — rain
  21. pound — a weight
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. shower — to wash
  24. race — the arms race

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