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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 120 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: bowl · shower · file · snap · craft · kick

  1. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. file — a tool
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. shower — rain
  7. shower — to wash
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. craft — a skill
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. snap — to click
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. file — a line of people
  15. file — a document
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. craft — boats
  18. bowl — a dish

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