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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: rush · shower · court · bat · saw · craft · foot · rock

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. foot — a measure
  6. craft — boats
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. rush — hurry
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. rock — a stone
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. court — for sport
  14. shower — rain
  15. court — of law
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. bat — the animal
  18. rock — music
  19. court — of a king
  20. saw — the tool
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. craft — a skill
  24. saw — the tool

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