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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: chest · perch · squash · pitch · shower · rash · fine · nail

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. chest — of your body
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. perch — the fish
  11. shower — to wash
  12. fine — high quality
  13. chest — of your body
  14. rash — hasty
  15. rash — a series
  16. chest — a box
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. pitch — completely
  20. fine — all right
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. squash — to crush
  23. shower — rain
  24. squash — the vegetable

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