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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: bear · pitcher · bowl · racket · coach · last · shower · scale

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. last — to go on
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. scale — in music
  11. bear — the animal
  12. shower — rain
  13. scale — size or range
  14. bear — the animal
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. last — final
  22. last — finally
  23. shower — to wash
  24. scale — for weighing

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