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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: racket · shower · sharp · mouse · roll · rash · bay · pop

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. sharp — clever
  4. shower — to wash
  5. roll — a list
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. pop — to visit
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. shower — rain
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. rash — a series
  21. pop — music
  22. roll — a cake
  23. pop — soda
  24. sharp — with an edge

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