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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
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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: row · rash · face · ball · swing · scale · cabinet · shower

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. ball — a dance
  4. row — a line
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. shower — rain
  8. swing — in golf
  9. swing — to play on
  10. row — to paddle
  11. scale — in music
  12. face — to point toward
  13. rash — hasty
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. swing — music
  17. rash — a series
  18. scale — size or range
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. face — part of the head
  21. face — to confront
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. shower — to wash

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