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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: kick · chair · tube · lie · deal · shower · hide · rash

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. rash — a series
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. kick — in football
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. chair — a leader
  7. rash — hasty
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. shower — to wash
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. tube — the underground
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. deal — to handle
  17. lie — to recline
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. tube — a container
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. shower — rain

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