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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 116 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: mine · bass · rule · kid · dip · rush · shower · face

  1. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. face — part of the head
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. bass — the fish
  5. face — to confront
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. kid — to tease
  8. rush — hurry
  9. mine — for digging
  10. rule — a law
  11. shower — to wash
  12. bass — low music
  13. shower — rain
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. face — to point toward
  19. kid — child
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. rule — government
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. dip — to sink

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