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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: pitcher · shower · ball · dip · straw · pit · face · squash

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. face — to point toward
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. ball — a great time
  9. ball — a dance
  10. face — to confront
  11. shower — to wash
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. pit — a hole
  16. dip — to sink
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. face — part of the head
  20. pit — in a race
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. squash — to crush
  24. squash — the sport

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