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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: charge · racket · bore · shower · hide · degree · ruler · row

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. shower — to wash
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. degree — an amount
  5. row — a line
  6. charge — in control
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. shower — rain
  9. charge — electricity
  10. bore — to tire
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. charge — a price
  13. degree — temperature
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. bore — to drill
  17. degree — from a university
  18. row — to paddle
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. ruler — a monarch

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