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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 116 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: last · shower · mouse · board · spell · saw · ball · rush

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. spell — magic
  3. shower — to wash
  4. ball — a great time
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. last — to go on
  8. saw — the tool
  9. board — a committee
  10. board — to get on
  11. last — finally
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. rush — hurry
  18. spell — letters
  19. spell — a short time
  20. last — final
  21. shower — rain
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. saw — the tool

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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