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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: bay · key · cap · cue · shower · pound · court · rush

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  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. court — for sport
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. cue — a hint
  4. key — for a lock
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. cap — a hat
  8. cap — of ice
  9. court — of law
  10. cue — a signal
  11. cap — a lid
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. pound — a weight
  14. cue — for pool
  15. key — in music
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. shower — to wash
  18. rush — hurry
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. shower — rain
  22. key — the most important part
  23. court — of a king
  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