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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: kid · kick · shower · hide · deal · object · can · coach

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. kid — to tease
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. object — to protest
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. can — a tin
  10. kick — in football
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. shower — rain
  13. kid — child
  14. object — a thing
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. object — an aim
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. can — a tin
  21. shower — to wash
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. deal — to handle

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