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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 116 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: dip · shower · club · bear · court · squash · bore · fan

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. bore — to tire
  3. bear — the animal
  4. squash — the sport
  5. court — of law
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. bore — to drill
  10. shower — to wash
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. squash — to crush
  14. club — for dancing
  15. club — for golf
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. court — for sport
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. bear — the animal
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. club — a group
  22. dip — to sink
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. court — of a king

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