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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 120 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: cabinet · pitch · ground · shower · rest · bowl · mate · bark

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. rest — what's left
  3. bark — to shout
  4. ground — the earth
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. pitch — completely
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. shower — to wash
  11. rest — a break
  12. rest — what's left
  13. ground — crushed
  14. mate — a friend
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. mate — to breed
  17. shower — rain
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. ground — a position
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. mate — a partner
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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