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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: shower · cap · firm · kick · row · game · safe · jam

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. cap — a hat
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. row — to paddle
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. cap — of ice
  8. game — a match
  9. firm — decided
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. shower — to wash
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. row — a line
  15. firm — steady
  16. cap — a lid
  17. shower — rain
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. kick — in football
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. game — wild animals
  24. firm — a company

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