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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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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 · track · safe · dip · pitcher · shower · bat · cap

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. row — to paddle
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. shower — to wash
  6. cap — a hat
  7. bat — the animal
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. track — a song
  11. dip — to sink
  12. row — a line
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. shower — rain
  16. track — to keep track
  17. track — a path
  18. cap — a lid
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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