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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 116 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: rush · safe · net · court · lean · shower · bowl · present

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. court — for sport
  3. net — in sport
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. court — of a king
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. net — for catching
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. court — of law
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. rush — hurry
  14. shower — rain
  15. net — after costs
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. lean — to bend
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. lean — thin
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. present — there
  23. present — a gift
  24. present — the time now

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