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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 · calf · rush · court · pound · shower · cabinet · rock

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. court — for sport
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. mark — a grade
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. court — of law
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. shower — to wash
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. pound — a weight
  17. court — of a king
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. rock — a stone
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. shower — rain
  22. rush — hurry
  23. mark — a trace
  24. rush — to hurry

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