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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: bowl · shower · bay · cabinet · tear · capital · suit · drill

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. capital — money
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. tear — from crying
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. suit — clothes
  11. shower — to wash
  12. shower — rain
  13. suit — in cards
  14. drill — the tool
  15. tear — to rip
  16. drill — a practice
  17. tear — from crying
  18. suit — to fit
  19. drill — army training
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. capital — a city
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. bay — a horse colour

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