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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: tear · hide · rash · shower · net · ball · suit · current

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. net — for catching
  3. ball — a dance
  4. tear — from crying
  5. suit — clothes
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. rash — hasty
  8. tear — to rip
  9. suit — to fit
  10. net — in sport
  11. ball — a great time
  12. rash — a series
  13. shower — rain
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. current — happening now
  16. suit — in cards
  17. current — of water
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. current — electric
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. tear — from crying
  23. net — after costs
  24. hide — to keep secret

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