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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: game · jam · row · shower · pass · stand · net · hide

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. game — wild animals
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. row — to paddle
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. shower — to wash
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. row — a line
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. net — for catching
  14. net — in sport
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. net — after costs
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. pass — a permit
  20. stand — to bear
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. shower — rain

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