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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: hand · rest · saw · game · shower · bass · present · racket

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. game — wild animals
  3. game — a match
  4. saw — the tool
  5. rest — what's left
  6. shower — to wash
  7. shower — rain
  8. bass — low music
  9. rest — a break
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. present — there
  12. rest — what's left
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. saw — the tool
  17. present — the time now
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. hand — in cards
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. hand — help
  22. present — a gift
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. bass — the fish

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