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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: bay · board · rest · jam · foot · saw · bowl · shower

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  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. bowl — to roll
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. board — to get on
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. rest — a break
  8. rest — what's left
  9. saw — the tool
  10. saw — the tool
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. shower — rain
  15. rest — what's left
  16. foot — a measure
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. board — a committee
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. jam — in traffic
  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