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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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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: rash · row · bat · shower · fine · kick · bass · content

  1. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. rash — hasty
  4. row — to paddle
  5. content — the amount
  6. rash — a series
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. bat — the animal
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. row — a line
  11. content — happy
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. shower — rain
  14. fine — all right
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. shower — to wash
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. fine — high quality
  20. bass — the fish
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. bass — low music
  24. bat — for 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