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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.

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: season · shower · rush · key · snap · cold · chip · bore

  1. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  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. bore — gave birth
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. season — in sport
  5. bore — to drill
  6. cold — an illness
  7. snap — to click
  8. key — for a lock
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. chip — to eat
  11. rush — hurry
  12. season — of the year
  13. bore — to tire
  14. chip — for betting
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. cold — not warm
  18. shower — to wash
  19. key — the most important part
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. key — in music
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. cold — the Cold War
  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