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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.

Make a worksheet

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
468
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: swing · object · hide · rash · shower · ground · rest · mine

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. mine — for digging
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. rest — a break
  5. object — an aim
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. shower — to wash
  8. ground — the earth
  9. swing — music
  10. rash — a series
  11. swing — to play on
  12. ground — a position
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. ground — crushed
  15. rest — what's left
  16. swing — in golf
  17. rash — hasty
  18. rest — what's left
  19. object — a thing
  20. object — to protest
  21. shower — rain
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. mine — belonging to me

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