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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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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 · pitcher · rule · firm · craft · coach · roll · bat

  1. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. craft — a skill
  4. roll — a list
  5. shower — to wash
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. bat — the animal
  11. shower — rain
  12. craft — boats
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. rule — government
  19. rule — a law
  20. firm — steady
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. firm — decided
  24. roll — a cake

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