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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 · jam · ball · suit · spell · roll · club · dip

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. spell — letters
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. suit — in cards
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. spell — a short time
  7. ball — a great time
  8. club — for golf
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. ball — a dance
  11. suit — to fit
  12. suit — clothes
  13. dip — to sink
  14. shower — rain
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. roll — a cake
  17. shower — to wash
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. spell — magic
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. club — for dancing
  23. roll — a list
  24. roll — on a roll

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