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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: cold · pit · nail · pass · charge · shower · pitcher · ball

  1. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. shower — rain
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. shower — to wash
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. pass — a permit
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. charge — electricity
  11. ball — a dance
  12. charge — in control
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. cold — an illness
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. ball — a great time
  19. charge — a price
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. pit — in a race
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. cold — not warm

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