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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: shower · can · chip · cabinet · toast · snap · row · rash

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. can — to be able to
  3. can — a tin
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. chip — to eat
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. rash — hasty
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. can — a tin
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. shower — rain
  16. chip — for betting
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. snap — to click
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. row — to paddle
  22. shower — to wash
  23. rash — a series
  24. toast — bread

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