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

Word bank: cell · chair · club · cabinet · jam · shower

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. cell — in biology
  3. club — for golf
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. shower — rain
  7. shower — to wash
  8. cell — a phone
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. club — for dancing
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. club — a group
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. chair — a leader
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. chair — to sit on

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