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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 116 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: ground · suit · capital · shower · board · bowl · wave · ball

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  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. ball — a great time
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. ground — the earth
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. suit — to fit
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. board — a committee
  8. ground — crushed
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. board — to get on
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. capital — a city
  13. suit — in cards
  14. capital — money
  15. suit — clothes
  16. ball — a dance
  17. ground — a position
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. shower — to wash
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  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