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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.

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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: sharp · wind · track · rash · shower · bore · fine · kick

  1. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. shower — to wash
  4. sharp — clever
  5. fine — all right
  6. bore — to drill
  7. rash — hasty
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. kick — in football
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. wind — moving air
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. track — a song
  14. track — a path
  15. wind — moving air
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. fine — high quality
  18. bore — to tire
  19. shower — rain
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. rash — a series
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. track — to keep track

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