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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 116 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: kid · sharp · shower · bowl · key · coach · pit · bat

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. key — for a lock
  9. sharp — clever
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. kid — to tease
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. shower — rain
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. bat — the animal
  16. pit — in a race
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. key — the most important part
  20. shower — to wash
  21. kid — child
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. key — in music
  24. pit — a hole

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