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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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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: staff · squash · rule · mouse · shower · cap · kick · rest

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. rest — what's left
  7. rest — what's left
  8. shower — rain
  9. rest — a break
  10. kick — in football
  11. cap — of ice
  12. cap — a lid
  13. staff — employees
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. rule — a law
  16. cap — a hat
  17. squash — the sport
  18. shower — to wash
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. staff — employees
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. squash — to crush
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. rule — government

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