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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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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: snap · club · bowl · shower · tear · file · suit · march

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. tear — from crying
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. tear — to rip
  6. file — a tool
  7. shower — rain
  8. club — a group
  9. shower — to wash
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. suit — clothes
  12. march — music
  13. snap — to click
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. tear — from crying
  16. file — a document
  17. club — for golf
  18. march — the month
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. club — for dancing
  21. file — a line of people
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. suit — to fit
  24. suit — in cards

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