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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 116 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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · cold · racket · shower · craft · rush · net · kick

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. cold — an illness
  4. net — after costs
  5. kick — in football
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. rush — hurry
  10. craft — a skill
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. net — in sport
  20. cold — not warm
  21. craft — boats
  22. shower — rain
  23. net — for catching
  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