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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 · bat · object · mug · lean · field · rule · shower

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  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. mug — a face
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. field — farmland
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. bat — the animal
  7. rule — a law
  8. chip — to eat
  9. rule — government
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. chip — for betting
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. field — for sport
  14. mug — a cup
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. lean — to bend
  17. shower — to wash
  18. object — to protest
  19. object — a thing
  20. mug — to rob
  21. object — an aim
  22. lean — thin
  23. field — a subject
  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