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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · rush · dip · date · stick · cabinet · toast · hand

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. shower — rain
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. toast — bread
  7. shower — to wash
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. hand — in cards
  13. dip — to sink
  14. hand — help
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. date — the fruit
  22. rush — hurry
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. date — on the calendar

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