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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: shower · ball · bowl · bear · jam · drill · rest · bat

  1. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. ball — a dance
  9. drill — a practice
  10. shower — rain
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. bear — the animal
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. rest — what's left
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. rest — a break
  17. shower — to wash
  18. drill — army training
  19. bat — the animal
  20. ball — a great time
  21. bear — the animal
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. rest — what's left
  24. bear — to put up with

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