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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: mark · shower · date · rest · spell · bass · last · cabinet

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. mark — a grade
  3. rest — what's left
  4. spell — a short time
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. spell — letters
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. spell — magic
  9. mark — a trace
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. last — final
  12. last — to go on
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. rest — what's left
  15. shower — rain
  16. rest — a break
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. bass — low music
  21. last — finally
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. bass — the fish
  24. date — the fruit

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