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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: arm · ball · rush · capital · bass · bay · content · shower

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. shower — rain
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. bass — the fish
  7. ball — a dance
  8. capital — a city
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. ball — a great time
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. content — happy
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. bass — low music
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. content — the amount
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. shower — to wash
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. capital — money

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