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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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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 · shower · nail · net · hand · rule · pop · dip

  1. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. rule — government
  5. hand — in cards
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. dip — to sink
  9. hand — help
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. net — in sport
  13. rule — a law
  14. pop — to visit
  15. sharp — clever
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. shower — to wash
  19. net — after costs
  20. pop — music
  21. shower — rain
  22. net — for catching
  23. pop — soda
  24. sharp — exactly

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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