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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 120 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 · cell · rash · court · safe · pitcher · current · bowl

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. cell — in biology
  3. rash — a series
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. shower — rain
  6. rash — hasty
  7. cell — a phone
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. current — of water
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. current — electric
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. court — for sport
  17. court — of a king
  18. shower — to wash
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. current — happening now
  22. court — of law
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. pitcher — a jug

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