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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: rush · rash · shower · face · ball · chip · bore · last

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. last — final
  6. last — finally
  7. shower — rain
  8. face — part of the head
  9. rush — hurry
  10. chip — for betting
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. rash — a series
  13. face — to point toward
  14. bore — to tire
  15. ball — a dance
  16. chip — to eat
  17. ball — a great time
  18. bore — to drill
  19. rash — hasty
  20. shower — to wash
  21. last — to go on
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. bore — gave birth

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