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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: rash · can · pop · mark · shower · game · net · chest

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. shower — to wash
  4. can — a tin
  5. mark — a grade
  6. rash — a series
  7. net — in sport
  8. mark — a trace
  9. pop — to visit
  10. net — after costs
  11. chest — of your body
  12. chest — a box
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. can — a tin
  15. rash — hasty
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. game — wild animals
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. can — to be able to
  20. net — for catching
  21. game — a match
  22. shower — rain
  23. pop — soda
  24. chest — of your body

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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