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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: bowl · racket · cold · shower · board · press

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. board — to get on
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. shower — to wash
  6. press — to push
  7. press — a publisher
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. press — newspapers
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. shower — rain
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. cold — an illness
  17. board — a committee
  18. cold — not warm

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