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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · perch · toast · court · hide · mouse · wave · pitcher

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. court — for sport
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. toast — bread
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. perch — the fish
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. shower — rain
  19. court — of a king
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. court — of law
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. toast — the most admired

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