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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: coach · swing · shower · chair · game · kick · rush · pound

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  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. pound — for dogs
  3. swing — music
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. kick — in football
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. game — wild animals
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. chair — a leader
  12. swing — to play on
  13. game — a match
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. rush — hurry
  19. swing — in golf
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. pound — a weight
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. shower — to wash
  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