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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: bowl · club · kick · shower · chair · fall · bay · swing

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. chair — a leader
  3. club — for golf
  4. swing — to play on
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. club — for dancing
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. club — a group
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. fall — to drop
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. fall — the season
  15. swing — music
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. fall — to drop
  18. shower — rain
  19. shower — to wash
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. swing — in golf
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. kick — in football
  24. bowl — to roll

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