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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: tube · shower · present · craft · pit · bowl · court · squash

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. craft — a skill
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. tube — a container
  7. shower — to wash
  8. tube — the underground
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. craft — boats
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. pit — a hole
  14. present — the time now
  15. squash — to crush
  16. present — a gift
  17. court — of law
  18. court — for sport
  19. squash — the sport
  20. pit — in a race
  21. shower — rain
  22. court — of a king
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. present — there

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