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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 120 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: rush · rest · pass · shower · kick · deal · degree · game

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. pass — a permit
  3. game — wild animals
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. rest — a break
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. game — a match
  8. degree — temperature
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. degree — from a university
  12. degree — an amount
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. rush — hurry
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. kick — in football
  18. rest — what's left
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. deal — to handle
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. rest — what's left
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. shower — rain

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