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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: pass · rash · ball · wind · saw · kick · march · shower

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. rash — hasty
  3. wind — moving air
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. march — the month
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. pass — a permit
  10. ball — a great time
  11. saw — the tool
  12. saw — the tool
  13. march — the month
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. shower — rain
  16. ball — a dance
  17. kick — in football
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. march — music
  22. rash — a series
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. shower — to wash

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