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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
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: suit · saw · clip · shower · charge · cell · ball · pitcher

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. cell — a phone
  5. suit — to fit
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. saw — the tool
  9. saw — the tool
  10. charge — a price
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. ball — a dance
  13. charge — in control
  14. suit — in cards
  15. ball — a great time
  16. clip — to cut
  17. suit — clothes
  18. cell — in biology
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. clip — for paper
  21. shower — rain
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. charge — electricity
  24. clip — a video

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