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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.

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: bowl · ball · bass · charge · drill · straw · cold · shower

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. drill — a practice
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. bass — the fish
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. bass — low music
  8. cold — not warm
  9. drill — army training
  10. charge — in control
  11. ball — a great time
  12. ball — a dance
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. shower — to wash
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. drill — the tool
  19. charge — a price
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. charge — electricity
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. cold — an illness

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