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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.

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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: rule · rush · shower · stick · season · row · capital · snap

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. snap — to click
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. row — a line
  7. rush — hurry
  8. capital — a city
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. rule — a law
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. season — in sport
  15. capital — money
  16. rule — government
  17. row — to paddle
  18. season — of the year
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. shower — to wash

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