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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: row · drill · shower · ball · degree · fan · calf · hide

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. degree — temperature
  4. drill — army training
  5. shower — rain
  6. degree — from a university
  7. drill — a practice
  8. ball — a great time
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. row — to paddle
  11. degree — an amount
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. shower — to wash
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. ball — a dance
  22. drill — the tool
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. row — a line

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