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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: shower · present · bat · pitcher · nail · fall · swing · pop

  1. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. bat — the animal
  4. present — there
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. present — the time now
  8. shower — rain
  9. fall — the season
  10. fall — to drop
  11. pop — soda
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. swing — to play on
  15. pop — to visit
  16. swing — in golf
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. fall — to drop
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. pop — music
  22. shower — to wash
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. present — a gift

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