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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: bowl · content · ball · suit · shower · march · field · straw

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. march — the month
  5. suit — clothes
  6. shower — rain
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. ball — a great time
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. suit — in cards
  12. content — the amount
  13. march — the month
  14. field — for sport
  15. content — happy
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. shower — to wash
  21. march — music
  22. field — a subject
  23. field — farmland
  24. suit — to fit

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