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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: cap · hand · cell · rash · club · rush · bowl · pop

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. pop — to visit
  3. cap — a lid
  4. rash — hasty
  5. club — a group
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. cell — a phone
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. pop — soda
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. hand — help
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. pop — music
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. cap — of ice
  18. club — for dancing
  19. rush — hurry
  20. cell — in biology
  21. cap — a hat
  22. club — for golf
  23. rash — a series
  24. hand — in cards

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