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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: saw · race · shower · net · drill · pitcher · toast · rash

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. saw — the tool
  4. net — for catching
  5. race — humankind
  6. drill — a practice
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. drill — army training
  9. rash — a series
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. rash — hasty
  12. race — the arms race
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. drill — the tool
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. saw — the tool
  19. race — a contest
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. net — in sport
  22. shower — to wash
  23. toast — bread
  24. shower — rain

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