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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. roll — a list
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. squash — the sport
  5. court — of law
  6. roll — a cake
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. net — after costs
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. court — of a king
  12. squash — to crush
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. net — for catching
  16. net — in sport
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. court — for sport
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. pitch — completely
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. shower — to wash

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