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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.

Make a worksheet

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
468
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: shower · rest · bear · row · mouse · pitcher · ground · squash

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. rest — what's left
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. ground — a position
  5. shower — rain
  6. shower — to wash
  7. ground — crushed
  8. bear — the animal
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. squash — to crush
  11. bear — the animal
  12. row — a line
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. row — to paddle
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. ground — the earth
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. rest — what's left
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. rest — a break
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. row — a quarrel

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