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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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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: rash · cap · shower · pit · saw · kick · pound · object

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. object — a thing
  3. object — an aim
  4. object — to protest
  5. cap — a lid
  6. cap — of ice
  7. shower — rain
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. cap — a hat
  10. saw — the tool
  11. pit — in a race
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. kick — in football
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. rash — a series
  18. pit — a hole
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. saw — the tool
  21. pound — a weight
  22. shower — to wash
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. rash — on the skin

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