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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: drill · perch · ball · key · pit · mug · rush · shower

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. shower — to wash
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. drill — the tool
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. perch — the fish
  8. key — the most important part
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. key — in music
  11. mug — a cup
  12. rush — hurry
  13. pit — in a race
  14. ball — a great time
  15. pit — a hole
  16. key — for a lock
  17. shower — rain
  18. drill — army training
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. mug — a face
  22. ball — a dance
  23. mug — to rob
  24. drill — a practice

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