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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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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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. cell — a phone
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. court — of a king
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. pitch — completely
  9. row — a line
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. row — to paddle
  12. bank — for money
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. court — of law
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. court — for sport
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. shower — rain
  19. shower — to wash
  20. bank — of a river
  21. cell — in biology
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. row — a quarrel

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