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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: hand · shower · can · bay · dip · mark · staff · ball

  1. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. mark — a trace
  3. hand — help
  4. staff — employees
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. staff — employees
  7. staff — a stick
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. shower — rain
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. mark — a grade
  14. can — to be able to
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. hand — in cards
  17. dip — to sink
  18. can — a tin
  19. ball — a great time
  20. shower — to wash
  21. ball — a dance
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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