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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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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: cap · lash · club · date · fall · mate · pitcher · shower

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. club — for golf
  5. club — for dancing
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. fall — to drop
  8. cap — a lid
  9. fall — the season
  10. club — a group
  11. cap — a hat
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. shower — to wash
  14. mate — to breed
  15. cap — of ice
  16. date — the fruit
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. shower — rain
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. mate — a partner
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. mate — a friend

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