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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: bank · game · pop · pitcher · shower · bowl · lean · court

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. bank — for money
  3. court — of a king
  4. game — wild animals
  5. pop — music
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. bank — for money
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. shower — rain
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. court — of law
  13. lean — thin
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. pop — to visit
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. court — for sport
  19. shower — to wash
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. pop — soda
  23. bank — of a river
  24. lean — to bend

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