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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: shower · dip · squash · rule · fan · sharp · kick · file

  1. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. file — a line of people
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. dip — to sink
  7. squash — to crush
  8. file — a document
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. shower — to wash
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. rule — a law
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. shower — rain
  17. sharp — clever
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. squash — the sport
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. file — a tool
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. rule — government

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