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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: rash · can · charge · net · degree · shower · pass · kid

  1. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. shower — to wash
  3. can — a tin
  4. degree — temperature
  5. charge — electricity
  6. net — in sport
  7. rash — a series
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. charge — in control
  11. pass — a permit
  12. degree — an amount
  13. kid — child
  14. net — for catching
  15. shower — rain
  16. degree — from a university
  17. can — to be able to
  18. charge — a price
  19. can — a tin
  20. net — after costs
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. kid — to tease
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. rash — hasty

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