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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 120 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: racket · sharp · arm · shower · chip · mate · kick · squash

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. chip — for betting
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. squash — to crush
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. kick — in football
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. mate — a partner
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. sharp — clever
  18. mate — to breed
  19. mate — a friend
  20. squash — the sport
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. chip — to eat
  23. shower — to wash
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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