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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 120 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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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: pitcher · rash · ball · bulb · shower · club · stick · season

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. shower — to wash
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. club — a group
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. club — for golf
  8. season — of the year
  9. rash — hasty
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. bulb — for light
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. ball — a great time
  17. rash — a series
  18. club — for dancing
  19. bulb — for light
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. shower — rain
  23. season — in sport
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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