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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 · shower · march · ball · clip · lie · bass · ground

  1. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. ground — a position
  3. shower — rain
  4. clip — a video
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. march — music
  7. clip — to cut
  8. lie — to recline
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. march — the month
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. march — the month
  13. ground — crushed
  14. shower — to wash
  15. ball — a dance
  16. bass — the fish
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. ground — the earth
  20. bass — low music
  21. clip — for paper
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. ball — a great time
  24. bowl — a dish

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