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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: cabinet · clip · pop · shower · rash · game · patient · toast

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. clip — for paper
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. pop — music
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. shower — rain
  11. pop — soda
  12. rash — a series
  13. pop — to visit
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. game — a match
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. clip — to cut
  19. game — wild animals
  20. shower — to wash
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. toast — bread
  23. rash — hasty
  24. clip — a video

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