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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.

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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 · dip · safe · shower · kick · band · bat · last

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. band — a ring
  6. last — to go on
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. shower — rain
  9. bat — the animal
  10. dip — to sink
  11. kick — in football
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. shower — to wash
  14. last — finally
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. band — a music group
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. last — final
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. band — a rubber band

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