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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: cap · cell · shower · club · bowl · pit

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. club — for golf
  3. cell — in biology
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. pit — in a race
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. shower — rain
  11. cap — a hat
  12. cap — of ice
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. club — a group
  15. club — for dancing
  16. cap — a lid
  17. shower — to wash
  18. pit — a hole

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