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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
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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: bowl · spell · rock · shower · bay · rash · degree · saw

  1. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. rock — music
  3. spell — letters
  4. spell — magic
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. saw — the tool
  7. spell — a short time
  8. rock — a stone
  9. saw — the tool
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. rash — hasty
  13. degree — an amount
  14. degree — temperature
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. shower — to wash
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. degree — from a university
  20. rash — a series
  21. shower — rain
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. bowl — a football final

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