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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.

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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: coach · shower · jam · ball · toast · net · bulb · deal

  1. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. net — after costs
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. ball — a great time
  6. net — for catching
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. shower — to wash
  11. deal — to handle
  12. toast — bread
  13. bulb — for light
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. ball — a dance
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. shower — rain
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. bulb — for light
  23. net — in sport
  24. ball — a round shape

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