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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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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: craft · ball · pitcher · race · lie · shower · net · patient

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. net — in sport
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. shower — to wash
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. net — after costs
  9. ball — a great time
  10. lie — to recline
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. craft — boats
  14. shower — rain
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. race — humankind
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. race — the arms race
  19. race — a contest
  20. craft — a skill
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. net — for catching
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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