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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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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: squash · degree · ball · rest · rush · bore · shower · rule

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. squash — to crush
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. rest — what's left
  6. bore — to drill
  7. rest — what's left
  8. bore — to tire
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. shower — rain
  11. squash — the sport
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. degree — temperature
  14. ball — a dance
  15. rush — hurry
  16. rule — government
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. shower — to wash
  19. degree — from a university
  20. rule — a law
  21. degree — an amount
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. rest — a break
  24. rule — to rule out

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