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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: chip · squash · drill · dip · cold · chair · shower · kick

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. chip — for betting
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. drill — the tool
  7. shower — rain
  8. cold — an illness
  9. kick — in football
  10. chair — a leader
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. cold — not warm
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. squash — to crush
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. shower — to wash
  20. dip — to sink
  21. drill — a practice
  22. chip — to eat
  23. drill — army training
  24. squash — the sport

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