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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: dip · rash · bowl · field · racket · lean · shower · sharp

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. shower — to wash
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. field — a subject
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. rash — a series
  9. dip — to sink
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. lean — thin
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. lean — to bend
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. sharp — clever
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. shower — rain
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. rash — hasty
  22. field — farmland
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. lean — to rest against

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