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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: content · squash · fork · key · rush · net · shower · cap

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. rush — hurry
  4. squash — to crush
  5. net — for catching
  6. cap — a hat
  7. shower — rain
  8. cap — a lid
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. key — in music
  11. content — the amount
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. net — after costs
  16. key — the most important part
  17. squash — the sport
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. key — for a lock
  21. net — in sport
  22. content — happy
  23. fork — in a road
  24. cap — of ice

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