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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: staff · bowl · shower · court · nail · hide · date · cell

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. staff — a stick
  3. cell — a phone
  4. shower — to wash
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. staff — employees
  13. staff — employees
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. court — of law
  18. shower — rain
  19. date — the fruit
  20. court — of a king
  21. court — for sport
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. cell — in biology

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