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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: content · safe · pitcher · last · ball · racket · bore · shower

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. last — to go on
  4. ball — a dance
  5. content — the amount
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. content — happy
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. bore — to drill
  11. last — final
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. bore — to tire
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. shower — rain
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. ball — a great time
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. shower — to wash
  24. safe — a strongbox

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