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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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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: safe · club · rash · drill · root · shower · bat · pass

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. shower — to wash
  4. club — for dancing
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. drill — the tool
  7. drill — a practice
  8. club — a group
  9. root — of a plant
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. root — the cause
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. rash — hasty
  14. root — of a word
  15. club — for golf
  16. shower — rain
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. drill — army training
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. pass — a permit
  22. rash — a series
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. bat — the animal

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