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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: row · band · shower · key · ball · mouse · present · rule

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. band — a music group
  3. row — a line
  4. ball — a great time
  5. row — to paddle
  6. band — a ring
  7. present — a gift
  8. shower — to wash
  9. present — there
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. key — the most important part
  13. rule — a law
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. key — for a lock
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. present — the time now
  21. rule — government
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. key — in music
  24. ball — a dance

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