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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: cell · hand · shower · bowl · board · kick · fan · jam

  1. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. board — to get on
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. board — a committee
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. shower — to wash
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. shower — rain
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. cell — a phone
  18. hand — in cards
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. kick — in football
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. cell — in biology
  24. hand — help

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